By Lois Hewitt

Hope.  The definition is a feeling of expectation and desire for a certain thing to happen. 

I hope I win the lottery.
I hope the weather is nice this weekend.
I hope I can get into a good college.
I hope I can see my grandchildren grow up.
And on and on…

Hope is that little buzz of optimism that keeps us going.  The hope that things will get better goes a long way during dark days. 

But does hope really work?  I’ve hoped for many things in my life…a book deal, an unexpected windfall, so many things.  Many never came to fruition.  These are my worldly hopes, but what does God say about hope.

The Bible calls us to have hope in the Lord and He will renew our strength (Isaiah 40).  We are called to have hope in the Lord for He will take care of us according to His will. Our hope is to be in God’s goodness and faithfulness. Our hope is in the blood shed by Christ for our sins.

Biblical hope looks much different than worldly hope. As we hope for things, money, health or whatever our needs may be, we need to remember true hope is in Jesus for those things He provides like strength for the trials, guidance in life, His love and salvation to name a few.

That’s not to say that He doesn’t want you to have a new car or whatever you are hoping for.  But our true hope should be in Him and our eternal life with Him.

It is okay to hope for things and changes to situations. 
But it is important to focus on Jesus. The things of this world can distract us from Him.  I am the first to admit shiny things can pull me away from Him.  Then I start to stumble and doubt. 

My job is to look for Him in all my situations.  Look to Him in all my many needs. To rest in the assurance of His plan and His love.  All things will happen according to His plan not mine.

I have days where I seem to lose all hope.  Hopeless I am. Nothing is good and I hate everything. I feel like Job where it is all going wrong. In those moments my eyes have left Him and are focused on me.  That is a lonely and desperate place to be.

Then He gently refocuses my view back to Him and my hope returns. Without hope I would never get out of bed, never shower, never care. Hope is the medicine I need to endure the hardships of life.  He keeps my soul healthy. 

I think it’s important to remember where our true hope lies. Not in the possessions or status but in the Lord Jesus Christ who rules over all things and plans what is best for us regardless of what we think is best.

Jesus came down from Heaven to be man.  He lived with hurt, loss, and all the things we bear as humans.  He died an absolutely horrific death at the hands of man. He died and rose again.

He did that for everyone of us. He did that to give us hope in Him.  Not the world but in Him.  Today my focus is back on Him.  Have hope today that Jesus is in charge and His plan is always for good.