“It will be said on
that day, ‘Behold, this is our God; we have waited for him, that He might save
us. This is the Lord; we have waited for
him; let us be glad and rejoice in His salvation.” –Isaiah 25:9. “Why
are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God:
for I shall again praise Him, my salvation and my God.” –Psalm 42:11. “But according to His promise we are waiting
for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells…You therefore,
beloved, knowing this beforehand, take care that you are not carried away with
the error of lawless people and lose your own stability. But grow in grace and knowledge of our Lord
and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be glory
both now and to the day of eternity.
Amen.” -2 Peter 3:15,17-18. “In
hope of eternal life, which God, who never lies, promised before the ages
began” –Titus 1:2 “so that being
justified by His grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal
life.” –Titus 3:7 “Keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting
for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ that leads to eternal life…Now to Him
who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the
presence of His glory with great joy, to the only God, our Savior, through
Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all
time and now and forever. Amen.” Jude
21, 24-25 (ESV).
Christians live in hope for three basic
reasons. First is God’s work of
reconciliation through the Lord Jesus Christ.
“Blessed be the God and Father of
our Lord Jesus Christ! According to His
great mercy He has caused us to be born again to a living hope through
the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead” (1 Peter 1:3, ESV). The second reason Christians live in hope is
that the Holy Spirit dwells within each believer: “The
Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit, that we are children of God” (Romans
8:16) The third reason for living in
hope is what awaits the Christian in the future. God promised and His promises will always be
fulfilled. The anticipation of what is
yet to be is the Christian’s future hope.
“But as it is written, ‘What no eye
has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared
for those who love Him’—these things God has revealed to us through the
Spirit. For the Spirit searches
everything, even the depths of God.” (I
Corinthians 2:9-10). Here Paul was referring to Isaiah 64:4
and Matthew 25:34 which tell of the glory that is yet to be. Blessed hope sustains us in the present;
future hope helps us anticipate the fulfillment of God’s promise of life
everlasting and of the consummation of the Kingdom of God.
It is interesting to note that the
future hope was both an Old and New Testament idea. Scholars who have counted the references tell
us that the Hebrew words indicating future hope are used repeatedly in the Old
Testament. For example, qawah (meaning wait for God) is used 26
times; yahai (long for God) 27 times;
hakah (to wait for God) 7 times; sabar (wait and hope for God) 4 times
[“Future Hope” in Holman Bible
Dictionary. Nashville: Broadman, 2001, pp. 519-20]. Nouns that carry the idea of future hope are
added to the strong Hebrew verbs to give at least 146 references in the Old
Testament of future hope. The references
to future hope in the New Testament are numerous and frequent. These are based upon the promise of the Lord
to come again to earth, receive His own (his bride) unto Himself, and to
establish His righteous reign. In the
meantime, while we await that day, Christians live in the present with
confidence and face the future with courage.
Even if we have to suffer while awaiting the glorious consummation, we
know “that suffering produces perseverance;
perseverance character; and character, hope (Romans 5:3-4). Blessed hope and future hope—hope that fills
our present and colors our future is not an ordinary hope. Christian hope is a gift from God: “we who
have fled for refuge might have strong encouragement to hold fast to the hope
set before us. We have this as a sure
and steadfast anchor of the soul”(Hebrews 6:18-19). Please reread prayerfully the focus verses
given at the beginning of this devotional.
And as you reread them, let your heart fill with gratitude to
overflowing for our blessed hope, our future hope. Thank Him that some of these promises of God
have been fulfilled and all of them will be fulfilled. To God be the glory!
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