7 Verses That Remind You to Hope
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- Published Jun 19, 2023
If you’re like me, then you know hope can be a fickle thing. Held tightly in your heart one minute and impossible to grasp the next. Hope is one of those concepts we think we understand, but when put to the test, we realize there’s so much more to learn. And when we run out of hope, like me, you’ve probably heard from a fellow brother or sister, the classic line, there’s always hope.
However trite, their words are true. Still, sometimes I wonder if other Christians offer that reminder as a biblical truth or out of apathy. After all, hoping is easy when there’s not much at stake. Telling someone to have hope is easy, but finding that for ourselves is difficult. This is especially true today. These days we don’t have to do much or look far to despair. We find reasons for dismay in our schools, our government, our workplaces, at home, and seemingly every facet of life. Turn on social media for a second, and we see a landscape littered with reasons to abandon hope.
Thankfully, though despair could come naturally, such a life is not what God envisions for us. Instead, when we choose to live for Him, we choose to live with some measure of hope. However imperfect. A life lived in despair is not one dedicated to God, but one with even a pinch of hope can be.
That leaves us with a question. Where do we find our hope?
Certainly not in the people and situations that cause us to lose hope in the first place. Relationships and circumstances are ephemeral. At the very least, they change by the day. And for that reason alone, the most we can expect is for these things to remind us to have hope. But if we want to find hope, then we need something stable. Someone stable.
Where we find certain assurance of hope is in God. When we seek Him through prayer, through community, and through His Word, we remember why we ought to hope. He gives us all the reasons we need. God is good. God loves us. God is always working for our betterment.
If you find yourself today living a life that is cynical, pessimistic, or generally devoid of hope, then take the step now to change that. Read these seven verses that remind you to hope.
7 Verses That Remind You to Hope
“For I know the plans I have for you”—this is the Lord’s declaration—“plans for your well-being, not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.” (Jeremiah 29:11)
Despite what we see or feel, what we know is that God has good plans for us. Many of those good plans unfold while we’re still living and breathing. Others come to fruition when we pass on. Nonetheless, we can remain certain that God may not always give us what we want, but He does give us what we need.
“When I observe your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you set in place, what is a human being that you remember him, a son of man that you look after him?” (Psalm 8:3-4)
Part of what gets us down is believing that we have been left on our own in a world gone crazy. When life turns bleak, we want comfort. But if we don’t recognize God as being in our corner, supporting us, then there is little joy to feel when life does grow grim. The better perspective, the hopeful one, is recognizing that no matter how things look around us, God cares for our well-being. Not only that, but He has a perspective over our lives that we do not. We may feel insignificant, but our importance cannot be measured.
“Now if we hope for what we do not see, we eagerly wait for it with patience.” (Romans 8:25)
Maintaining hope helps us in other aspects of our lives, like patiently waiting on God. With hope, we expect a good ending. Not calamity.
“Rejoice in hope; be patient in affliction; be persistent in prayer.” (Romans 12:12)
Scripture doesn’t shy away from the reality that life is hard.`Yet, with reality comes options we can take to endure. One of those options is to rejoice in hope. Rejoicing requires active participation. We need to take delight in hope, seeking it when we’re empty and seeking it when we’re not.
“One who is righteous has many adversities, but the Lord rescues him from them all. He protects all his bones; not one of them is broken.” (Psalm 34:19-20)
These verses again point to the harshness of life, the harshness that God fully knows and understands. When we find ourselves contending with adversities, no matter how major or how many, we can turn to the Lord, knowing He will act on our behalf.
“This hope will not disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured out in our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.” (Romans 5:5)
How many times do we justify our doubt and despair, citing the pointlessness of hope? We’re wrong for holding such a mindset. Rather, Scripture points to an important benefit of having hope. When we believe in the right things, we are not put to shame. Instead, the outcome reveals God’s love.
“He will wipe away every tear from their eyes. Death will be no more; grief, crying, and pain will be no more, because the previous things have passed away.” (Revelation 21:4)
There’s no disputing that on this side of life, we will not get everything we want. Not every relationship, not every job, or any other opportunity. Nor does Scripture offer such a promise. Rather, Scripture promises that in the end, the final end, all things will be made right. That’s reason enough to put your hope in Christ today.
Conclusion
Hope, however difficult to understand and maintain, is vital for living as a faithful believer. Hope is the confident assurance about a favorable outcome, an assurance rooted in God. If we don’t feel certain about God, that perspective bleeds into other areas of our lives.
Even if we live in dark days, the darkness doesn’t have to rule our lives. We can choose to be happy, but that’s impossible without hope.
As brothers and sisters have told you, and as you have surely said to others, remember, there’s always hope.
Photo Credit: ©Getty Images/Tinnakorn Jorruang
