5 Great Examples of the Hope in the Bible

Without hope, everyone would be discouraged, but the Christian’s hope is not a hope-so, but a know-so hope.

Hope of God’s Love – Psalm 33

Without hope, everyone would be discouraged, but the Christian’s hope is not a hope-so hope, but a know-so hope. The psalmist reminds us that we have no hope outside of Christ, but for those who love Him and obey Him, there is a hope that cannot be destroyed. God watches over His own, especially those that fear or revere Him. The Psalmist wrote, “Behold, the eye of the Lord is on those who fear him, on those who hope in his steadfast love” (Psalm 33:18). If our hope is in God’s unshakable, immoveable love for us, then we know for a fact that “the eye of the Lord on us.” Wow! I love knowing that.

Hope of Our Salvation – Psalm 42

Even in all of the turmoil of our lives, we who have hope in God can praise Him, even when things around us are falling apart. As for our part, we only need take the Psalmist’ advice who said, “Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my salvation and my God” (Psalm 42:5b-6a). May I ask you: Do you feel “cast down” and in “turmoil” (Psalm 42:11a)? Let God’s reminder sink in that our hope must be in Him and nothing else or no one else (Psalm 42:11b).

Born Again to a Living Hope– 1st Peter 1

Read how Peter encourages us by reminding us that we have hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, but we also have the hope that grace gives us for our future. The Apostle Peter says that, “According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead” (1 Pet 1:3). It is a “living hope….” or a hope that we must live by every day of our lives. We can have hope if we are living with the expectation of our own resurrection someday into a body of glory The hope that we have in the resurrection is “an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you” (1 Pet 1:4). If it’s kept for you in heaven, then it’s as if we’re already there!

Hope As Our Anchor – Hebrews 6

The author of Hebrews shows us that our hope is not a hope-so hope, but a know-so hope. That’s because we have assurance in the God Who saved us and in the Word of God that promises us eternal life. God has no aborted children who were born again. The Author of Hebrews assures us that “We have this as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, a hope that enters into the inner place behind the curtain” (Heb 6:19). Of course the inner sanctuary or behind the veil (curtain) was forbidden for anyone to enter except the High Priest, and then, only once a year (Day of Atonement or Yom Kippur). To do otherwise meant certain death. The curtain separated all of us from access to God, so to be allowed to be “behind the curtain” means we have access to the Holy of Holies through Jesus Christ. This hope acts as an anchor to our soul, keeping it safe and secure in the harbor of God’s love.

Hope of No Shame– Romans 5

If you seek to have hope, camp out in Romans 5 because Paul tells us that suffering produces endurance, but clearly, it is only because of and through Jesus Christ that “we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God” (Rom 5:2). We can still have hope as we suffer because we know that “we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance” (Rom 5:3). God is at work in us. The Holy Spirit brings assurance to believers and we place our hope in all of God’s great and precious promises (2 Pet 1:4). Never, ever has one word or promise of God ever failed! This is why the faith we have placed in Christ “does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us” (Rom 5:5). Did you catch that? The Holy Spirit had to be given to us so that love of God could be poured into our hearts. The only reason “We love [God is] because he first loved us” (1 John 4:19). He had to make the first move because dead men cannot choose to love God (Eph 2:1-5) any more than Lazarus could ask Jesus to resurrect him from the dead.

Conclusion

The Bible uses the word hope in a much different way than the world does. Our hope is secure and certain. It’s not like we “hope it will rain” or we “hope our team will win.” We hope in Jesus’ return and in eternal life for all those who have trusted in Him, but again, it’s not “I hope-so” but “I know so!” We hope in a God Who is faithful and will not abandon us (John 6:37, 39). Have you already trusted in Christ and discovered what God’s will is for your life? I plead with you today to repent and put your trust in Jesus Christ. If you refuse to do so, you will face God’s judgment after death (Heb 9:27), or at the Lord’s second coming (Rev 20:12-15). That is something I would not wish on anyone!

Here is some related reading for you: How to Have Hope When it Looks Hopeless

Resource – Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version^® (ESV^®), Crossway Bibles. (2007). ESV: Study Bible: English standard version. Wheaton, Ill: Crossway Bibles. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Tagged as: Assurance, faith, Hope, Salvation, Trust