I hope I get a good grade in Math. I hope my boyfriend (or girlfriend) likes my outfit. I hope that the person that got hurt is going to be ok.
We all hope for certain things. But what is our hope based on? Is it in fate, karma or some mystical sounding word? Can we affect the outcome of our hope? Can our hope be based on something real?
Some of you may remember the story of Daniel’s friends that were thrown into the fiery furnace. Their hope was in the LORD. Here is their reply to the King regarding their forthcoming punishment…
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego replied, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you. 17If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God whom we serve is able to save us. He will rescue us from your power, Your Majesty. Daniel 3:16-17 NLT
Was their hope in vain? See for yourself…
“Look!” he answered, “I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire; and they are not hurt, and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God.”
The three men walked out of the furnace unharmed!
Is your hope in yourself and your abilities or in the GOD of all Creation?
King David put his hope and trust in GOD.
1 To you, O LORD, I lift up my soul;
Do not let me be put to shame,
nor let my enemies triumph over me.
will ever be put to shame,
but they will be put to shame
who are treacherous without excuse.
teach me your paths;
5 guide me in your truth and teach me,
for you are God my Savior,
and my hope is in you all day long.
17 A horse is a vain hope for deliverance;
despite all its great strength it cannot save.
18 But the eyes of the LORD are on those who fear him,
on those whose hope is in his unfailing love,
and keep them alive in famine.
20 We wait in hope for the LORD;
he is our help and our shield.
for we trust in his holy name.
22 May your unfailing love rest upon us, O LORD,
even as we put our hope in you.
5 Find rest, O my soul, in God alone;
my hope comes from him.
6 He alone is my rock and my salvation;
he is my fortress, I will not be shaken.
7 My salvation and my honor depend on God;
he is my mighty rock, my refuge.
8 Trust in him at all times, O people;
pour out your hearts to him,
for God is our refuge. Selah
5 I wait for the LORD, my soul waits,
and in his word I put my hope.
The Prophet Isaiah put it in these words…
Have you not heard?
The LORD is the everlasting God,
the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He will not grow tired or weary,
and his understanding no one can fathom.
29 He gives strength to the weary
and increases the power of the weak.
30 Even youths grow tired and weary,
and young men stumble and fall;
31 but those who hope in the LORD
will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
they will run and not grow weary,
they will walk and not be faint.
Jeremiah, another Prophet of the LORD proclaims…
11For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.
For those of us who know Christ as Savior and the reason for our hope, this passage is meaningful…
23Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. 24And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. 25Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.
SEEK FIRST THE
