We all need hope. In fact, we yearn for it, though we sometimes don’t recognize what may be missing from our lives.
In good times, the future seems bright for a while and worries retreat into the background. But when trials and troubles come, our optimistic outlook fades, and we begin to fear what’s coming rather than look forward to it. And on normal days, the routine activities of everyday living can sometimes dull our outlook of a positive future. Too often, we find ourselves searching for hope that things will turn out all right.
Wouldn’t it be wonderful if the hope we seek was readily available? All of the time?
But on an average day, there is rarely a lack of things to feel anxious about: money issues, illness, family problems, job concerns … and the list goes on and on. Sometimes, uncertainty creeps into our minds, and we begin to feel helpless and hopeless.
We are living a life of quiet desperation, but we don’t know what we don’t know.
“I still remember the night times. In the darkness of early morning, I would wake to a feeling of dread. The next few hours would be clouded by fear and shame, with questions tossing in my head: ‘Why is this happening? How can we turn things around? What is going to happen to us?’ I would pray over and over for answers and help that didn’t seem to come. Eventually, I would wearily drag myself out of bed to face another day. Once into the morning, I would feel better for a while. At least I was doing something; maybe things weren’t so hopeless after all. But, too soon, the night would come again.” (STEPS: A Daily Journey to a Better Life)
The passage above is a true story, and during that period in my life, all seemed dark. But beyond the darkness, there was hope; it just took me a while to find it. Without me being aware of it, God was still there—the whole time, even in the dark.
Hope is a feeling that something good will happen, but we often find it hard to conjure up or manufacture on our own. It is something we find, or are given, and true hope must be founded in something real that we believe can lead toward a more positive future.
“I wait for the Lord, my whole being waits, and in his word I put my hope.” (Psalm 130:5)
And beyond hope there is something even stronger: faith. Faith is more than just a feeling of optimism; it is a positive assurance of the future and complete trust in something—or someone.
“We wait in hope for the Lord; he is our help and our shield. In him our hearts rejoice, for we trust in his holy name. May your unfailing love rest upon us, O Lord, even as we put our hope in you.” (Psalm 33:20-22)
Our search for hope can guide us along a wonderful, life-changing journey, and faith can bring assurance, a state of being certain about something. How does that happen? With a willing heart and open mind, we search for truth. And if we investigate the claims of the Christian faith, we discover an incredible thing: it is founded upon historical fact, events that actually happened, and a person who literally existed.
“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16)
We find that the most wonderful hope of all was actually born two thousand years ago.
“A thrill of hope the weary world rejoices,
For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn.”
May you find assurance from the one true source of hope during these holidays.
Question: Has there been a time in your life when you were searching for hope?
Action: This Christmas, enjoy the wonderful assurance that your faith in Jesus Christ is justified, and take pleasure in the hope that inspires.
Photo by Susan WD 
Photo by h.koppdelaney
