A Reason For Hope Today

Romans 4:18-23 (NLT) Even when there was no reason for hope, Abraham kept hoping…And Abraham’s faith did not weaken, … Abraham never wavered in believing God’s promise. In fact, his faith grew stronger, and in this he brought glory to God. He was fully convinced that God is able to do whatever he promises. And because of Abraham’s faith, God counted him as righteous…

It’s kind of interesting how words and their meanings change over time. What used to mean one thing over 100 years ago has an entirely different meaning now. Hope is one of the words. It used to mean “an absolute confidence in something or someone.” Now, it means things like “I hope so. I wish for, etc.” When the scripture says that Abraham kept “hoping,” it refers to a confidence that would not be persuaded by any obstacle or situation that was out there. As an example, I read in yesterday’s paper that the price of gasoline is going up 62 cents per gallon after the first of the year. Some would say, “I hope God helps me and takes care of me,” – indicating that they weren’t sure if He would or not. But as Christians we should be saying it this way, “My hope (confident assurance) is in God and I trust Him to take care of me no matter what the price of gasoline is.” The newspapers and news stories on the TV look very bleak right now as we read about the war games going on off the coast of Korea and person who was just arrested for trying to set off a bomb in a Christmas lighting ceremony in Oregon. If I live by those stories alone – I would never come out of the house and enjoy life. My confidence is in God’s hands today. I trust Him now more than I ever have. I have watched His faithfulness over and over in my life. He has taken care of me and my family and He will continue to do so. I have a reason for hope today. It’s not my bank account nor is it my health or life insurance plan or even my retirement savings. My hope today is in Jesus Christ who is my Lord and Savior. I am fully convinced that God is ABLE to do what He promises. He has never let me down and I KNOW that He will continue to see me through.