Hopelessly Hopeful

“I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit”

Romans 15:13

Like many of you, ever since the day I opened my heart to Jesus I became what you might say, “hopelessly hopeful”, meaning I can’t help but be hopeful no matter what situation I might find myself in. God has proven Himself to us again and again even though in a million lifetimes I will never understand why. Yet, I totally understand what the psalmist was saying in Psalm 71:5-6, “O Lord, you alone are my hope. I’ve trusted you, O LORD, from childhood. Yes, you have been with me from birth; from my mother’s womb you have cared for me. No wonder I am always praising you.” It’s overwhelming to think that God has loved us with an everlasting love and has known us even before we were born. It’s knowing that truth that provides us with our greatest sense of hope.

The reason you and I who have placed our trust in Jesus can be as it were “hopelessly hopeful” is as Romans 5:5 points out, “And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love.” Hoping in Jesus Christ will never leave us disappointed for the simple fact that the Holy Spirit will see to it that are hearts remain hope filled by the love of God that causes us to look onward and upward.

Even when we face the hurts and the heartaches of this life we can do so with hope. In 1 Thessalonians the apostle Paul reminds us that even in our times of grief we still have hope. Hope is just one of the many things that separate us from the unbelieving world around us. Verse 13 reminds us that even when dealing with the death of a loved one, the child of God sees and responds differently, “And now, dear brothers and sisters, we want you to know what will happen to the believers who have died so you will not grieve like people who have no hope.”

Those who have hope also have faith as “faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen”. When we turn to Jesus Christ as our personal Savior and Lord we find ourselves becoming hopelessly hopeful. It’s as if we just can’t help ourselves, hope for the follower of Jesus becomes a way of life. It most assuredly helps us to see the possibilities in situations that otherwise would appear to be impossible. Why live another day with disappointment? Take the advice of actor Christopher Reeve who said, “Once you choose hope, anything is possible.” What are you waiting for? Put your hope in God and find yourself becoming increasingly “hopelessly hopeful.”

“For I know the plans I have for you,” says the LORD. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.”

Jeremiah 29:11


I LOVE YOU!