Nothing is more important to my daily life than having hope, joy and peace. These all come to us through our trusting relationship with God.
“Now may God, the inspiration and fountain of hope, fill you to overflowing with uncontainable joy and perfect peace as you trust in him.” Romans 15:13 The Passion Translation
I love the phrase “fountain of hope” because that so perfectly illustrates the fact that as a fountain produces a continual fresh outflow, so God’s presence of hope continually outflow of us. A fountain isn’t hindered by a little debris in the way since it’s power just pushes that litter away. So too, God’s hope isn’t stifled by our daily challenges. Instead, God’s hope pushes the dark thoughts away. Like sunshine that pushes through dark clouds after a rainstorm, so God’s hope is a fountain or powerful thing to drive away hopelessness from us.
Let’s get honest today. Are there areas in which you have become hopeless? You still don’t see any changes and it seems like breakthrough will never come? God’s fountain of hope wants to push light into your darkness. The key is “as you trust in him”. Trust means never give up believing. Never stop trusting. Sometimes light is just around the corner. Keep your faith and hope applied to the situation. How long do you hope? Until you see the result. When we’re waiting for a person to change, it may take a lifetime. So dig in your heels and determine as long as you live you are going to be hopeful and never quit.
What is false hope? We hear that phrase used in the medical field when a terminally ill person is given no hope. I don’t believe in giving people false hope either. But godly hope is never false. Hope will keep you bright and cheerful in the midst of a storm. You will face a storm with more strength when you keep your hope. Believers are never hopeless but always hopeful. What if the person dies? They die with hope, with faith, with confidence. And what if they live a long life because they chose not to lose hope? Hope alone without faith won’t produce anything. But faith without hope will lose its focus as well. I like to think of hope as expectation of something good. That is always a great attitude to take in whatever battle you face.
Godly hope is never merely a great attitude you drum up on your own. Godly hope is trusting a God of miracles who still knows the recipe for manna and still can part a Red Sea or heal a sickness. Let’s be dispensers of hope—just like our God!
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