“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In His great mercy He has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials.” - 1 Peter 1:3-6
A 20-year-old teacher named Ann Sullivan came to Tuscumbia, Alabama, in 1887, to tutor a helpless girl named Helen Keller, who was blind, deaf, and mute. With tremendous patience and perseverance, Ann was finally able to communicate with Helen through the use of her hands. She poured water over Helen’s hands and then spelled “water” into her hand. All of a sudden, the miracle of communication was planted in Helen Keller’s heart. When she later came to understand the spelling and concept of G-O-D, Helen Keller immediately said to her teacher, “I always knew He was there, but I didn’t know His name.”
There is a God who is there. His name is Jesus. Without Him, we must all ultimately live without hope. Without His existence, old age, disease, and death have the final say in life. There is only one way that hope springs eternal – and that is if there is a God who is gracious enough to offer our salvation and powerful enough to achieve it. It is not enough that there is “a god.” There must be The God of the Bible. This God came to earth in the person of His Son, Jesus Christ, who died on the cross so that He might deliver us from evil. Then He came back from the dead to deliver us from death. This is how hope springs eternal.
Hope is full assurance, not uncertain desire. When Psalm 42:5 says, “Hope in God!” it does not mean cross your fingers. It does not mean God might work for His servant. It means, be confident that He will! Be strong in God! Be courageous in God! In Christ, you have full assurance of hope! As a Christ follower, you have been chosen by grace, called by grace, and saved by grace. Therefore, the spring and fountain of all our hope is the grace of God.
Have you been born into this living hope? Have you heard the call of God in the gospel? Have you repented and been forgiven of your sins? Are you living in the hope of the promises of God? God is there. You need only to open your heart to receive His grace.
Father, thank You for the hope you have given me through the Gospel. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Topics: Hope
