Hope Always

It has come to my attention recently that hope saves us.

Now, I'm not saying that salvation is through anything or anyone but Jesus Christ. But I've discovered that He is hope. There is little, nay zero, hope without Him. Without His death on the cross, we are without hope for salvation from our sins. Without the resurrection from the dead, there is no hope for life after death. Without His spirit and peace in our hearts, there is no hope for anything beyond the temporary. And how is that hope at all?

You see, hope saves us from ourselves. And this flesh. And painful world.

I've had an area of my life that I have been struggling with lately. And though I hate to admit it, I think that I, in a way, lost my hope. And I suffered for it. Until one night when I was praying and asking God to show me how to liberate myself from my struggle...and He showed me...hope.

The Bible says, "Not only that, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; 4perseverance, character; and character, hope. 5And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out His love into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, whom He has given us..." Romans 5:3-5

I've always loved this verse and even wrote a poem about it (posted below), but I have never quite taken in the end of the list of sequenced attributes that suffering eventually produces--hope. You would think perseverance or character would be the end game. But nope--it's hope. Those things are wonderful attributes to have but it is hope that is what God is bringing about in our hearts through those things.

And that hope does not disappoint.

Ever.

Period.

Why? Because God loves us.

And so, when we are struggling with something that seems like it will never end, remember, God is hope. His hope saves us from our fears and from our suffering. It is the hope of our salvation that we cling to--that brings us joy even in this terrible world.

With God, all things are possible. And nothing is ever over, too late, or past redemption.

With Jesus, there is always hope.

~~~

"An Echo of Myself"

 

Occurring step by step, in sequences

A path both narrow and wide, yet constant

Through a glass darkly, a cloud surfaces

Inevitably, each voice grows distant

 

At first, the subtlety of the echo

Almost laughingly leaves the voice intact

Resonating unique, it rests as though

It's identity found what it once lacked

 

Silence, for a moment; a sword pierces

Once integral to me, now forgotten

The Word; as truth vanishes, one faces

A solitude from whence is begotten

 

Suffering--Perseverance--Character

Hope echoed from fragrant alabaster