And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins. Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ are lost. If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all men. Â Â Â 1 Corinthians 15:17-19 (NIV)
We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. Â Â Â Â Hebrews 6:19 (NIV)
Hope must have its origin in Jesus. If I do not believe that Jesus died, rose from dead, and now lives eternally, then my hope for anything is certainly built on a foundation of sand.
I have many hopes in and for my life, as long as it lasts here on this earth. I hope to be able to spend more time with my grandchildren over the next ten years than I have the last ten years. I hope to be able to have more opportunities to encourage and teach others how to grow into mature disciples. I hope God will allow Henry and me to network with more Christians who do not know each other now but will come together to build His Kingdom.
These hopes are alive because I know the assurance of the Hope of eternal life. Jesus is so real and His love so tangible that the gift of eternal life was given freely and I took it into my heart with that same freedom. With a tiny, faltering, baby step of faith, I was given Hope big enough to support all my other hopes and, yes, dreams. Jesus’ Hope is the anchor that keeps my life from being battered beyond repair in the storms of this life. I have been through some hurricanes! (And not just physical ones!) In those dark and uncertain moments, it is the anchor of Jesus’ hope that brings my eyes up to His eyes and I am no longer flailing among the high waves but, in fact, walking with Him on the water. Like Peter, the walk occurs when I go forth with a tiny drop of faith, no strength of my own, and know only that Jesus is the only way; that there is no other option. I will not abandon my walk with Him no matter how many times I stumble. Jesus is my anchor. [Read Peter’s experiences: Matthew 14:22-33, John 5:66-69]
His pleasure is not in the strength of the horse, nor his delight in the legs of a man; the LORD delights in those who fear him, who put their hope in his unfailing love. Â Â Â Psalm 147:10-11 (NIV)
Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me?
Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God. Â Â Â Â Psalm 42:5 (NIV)
It is so simple and yet so hard for me to stop struggling to make something happen; pushing to move the boulder in my path and instead take Jesus’ hand and rest in His timing and care. It is not for me to just sit but instead to seek Jesus and His plan, keeping myself fit and ready. It is living in the peace that surrounds my Hope in Jesus, firm and secure in His forever love.
