What the Bible Says About Hope
– Romans 5:5
Hope does not disappoint us. Oh, but you say I have hoped for many things and have been disappointed when I didn’t get them. That is not the hope which is mentioned here.
The hope which disappoints is like hoping for that special gift at Christmas. It is hoping that another person will give us attention. It is hoping that we’ll finally win the lottery. Hope based upon assumption and unrealistic expectations will nearly always disappoint us.
Paul is speaking about the hope which comes through having placed our faith in Christ. The reason this hope does not disappoint us is that it didn’t come from our own wishful thinking. This hope comes from the eternally faithful word of God.
This hope rises up from faith based upon our relationship with the God of hope. It is hope that will not disappoint or make us ashamed.
In Romans 5 Paul writes in verse two, “we have access by faith… and rejoice in the hope.” Then he relates that as we experience trials in our relationship with the Lord we gain patience; patient serving produces experience; and our experience of his grace produces Hope – and this hope will not disappoint or make us ashamed.
Hope born in the Spirit of redemption becomes an anchor for our soul (Hebrews 6:19). When our hope is fixed on nothing less than Jesus Christ and his promises we can rest assured that he will fulfill his promises every time.
Prayer: Lord Jesus, sometimes my focus gets off of what you have done and what you have made available to us through faith. Grant me the grace of great faith and hope in you for the future. In your name I ask. Amen.