Having Hope

1 Peter 1:3-4a

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,

and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade.

The finish line of a distance race is often located at the same point as the start line. The course itself, however, is miles of road that cannot be immediately seen. Do you check out a race course before you run it or do you prefer to run without seeing it first? I’ve done both, but I like not running the course ahead of time. I am actually less anxious when I do not know what lies ahead.

Our lives are like the distance race. We know where we are and we know that someday life will be over, but the miles in between are unknown. We can make plans and chart courses but we do not know what lies ahead. There are no guarantees that what we plan will work exactly as we want.

But in the Bible, God tells us there is something we can be sure of: the gift of hope. And I’m not talking about “hope” the way we casually use the word throughout the day (I hope it doesn’t rain today…I hope I make it to work on time…I hope my team wins on Sunday…) Rather, hope is defined in the Bible as a future certainty. It’s not just a wish that something will happen but a solid promise from God.

Peter tells us that the hope God gives is living. And we know that living things are complex: they grow, they respond, they thrive, and they reproduce. Isn’t that amazing to think that our hope does the same? It is not a stagnant, lifeless object. It is the very life of Christ through the Holy Spirit living in us. It guarantees us that we are the heirs to the riches of Heaven. And we can be sure that if God loves us enough to share with us the riches of Heaven, He most certainly will guard, comfort, uphold, and provide for us while we are still here on Earth. It is our true and certain hope.

The problems of this world can cloud out the joy God intends us to have. But when troubles come, we can lean on Him and receive from Him all that we need to endure. Even in times of trial we can “rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory” because God will never leave us or forsake us.

Let’s go to Him now and ask Him to restore the joy that a living hope brings.

Heavenly Father, You are always with us, even when we feel as though we are alone. You have given us hope that is living. You have promised to share with us every good gift that is Yours. Help us to trust and rejoice in these promises. Help us to share this good news with others and to build each other up during the race. And when we experience trials, please send us encouragement and peace through the hope only You can give. In Jesus’ name we pray, AMEN.