And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us. -Romans 5:5
Something that Jesus brought to the world, and what the world desperately needs, is hope. The Lord has brought hope in the midst of life’s struggles. Without hope we will not have much to live for. Jesus is the true and ultimate source of hope. What happens if someone becomes hope-less? That individual is in trouble; watch him carefully and get him to a Dr. right away. Hope moves us forward when we might otherwise have given up. True hope in Christ understands that even though the situation may look bleak, God will work everything out – one way or another. Paul summed it up in Philippians 1:21: “For me to live is Christ and to die is gain.” When narrowing down the three most powerfully motivating factors in our lives, the Word of God includes hope as one of them: “But these three remain: faith, hope, and love. But the greatest of these is love” (I Corinthians 13:13).
As long as we have Christ we have hope. The hope the Lord brings to our lives is hope that will sustain us when the going gets rough. During a storm we take cover, hang on, and keep holding on because we have hope that the storm will soon be over. That hope compels us to not give up, but to keep holding on. Such is the nature of our hope in Jesus Christ. What happens, however, when we feel our strength to hold on is almost gone? Shall we give up, call it quits, or lose hope? The answer is, absolutely not. Keep holding onto the Lord, for He is holding onto us. Christ will not let us go.
Whatever storm you are facing right now remember that God loves you and will help you through. Christ will empower us through faith to hold fast to His powerful hand even when we feel like giving up.
Do not surrender, and do not give up. The storm will soon be over. Light is about to break upon the horizon. In Jesus there is hope.
