Hebrews 11:1 “Faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.”
Shortly before Moody graduated to glory, he said: “Someday you’ll read in the papers that D. L. Moody is dead. Don’t you believe it! At that moment I’ll be more alive than I am now; I’ll have gone up higher, that’s all! I was born of the flesh in 1837; I was born of the Spirit in 1856. That which is born of the flesh may die, but that which is born of the Spirit will live forever!”
Biblical hope is a confident expectation which we can depend upon. This is in sharp contrast to today’s usage which seems to almost assume uncertainty. People ‘hope’ that things will work out, but there’s often little confidence that it will. For such people who are “separate from Christ”, they are “foreigners to the covenants… without hope and without God in the world” (Ephesians 2:12). Concerning their future after death, they “grieve like the rest of men, who have no hope” (1 Thessalonians 4:13); whereas the Christian can echo the confidence expressed by Paul to Titus, “We wait for the blessed hope – the glorious appearing of our great God and Saviour, Jesus Christ” (Titus 2:13).
In my own life in Burundi, it’s this hope which keeps me keeping on. Things can appear so bleak, unfair, desperate and hopeless. A recurring prayer over the years at our daily team times of devotion, particularly during periods of more intense fighting, has been: “Imana yacu, turagushimiye kuko watuzigamye kugez’ uyu musi” (Our Lord, we praise you that you have protected us until today). Yet it’s the hope of heaven which has sustained my brothers and sisters through the horrors of war. They’re ready to die. And so am I.
Biblical hope brings total security and assurance. Are you hopeful?
Thank you, Lord, that my hope in you is sure. Help me live a hope-full life today. Amen!
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