A Steadfast Hope

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“This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast.” Hebrews 6:19 NKJV.

Hope is lost when trust is misplaced.

My thoughts and comments today are about “a steadfast hope.”

I lose things occasionally; well more accurately, I misplace things temporarily. They usually turn up or they are easily replaced and life goes on without them. That is not true when you start losing hope. Hope is lost when trust is misplaced. Past experiences and present circumstances combine to cause a struggle to maintain hope. Losing hope colors everything else about your life, work, and relationships.

Hope can be described as, “expectation of good things to come.” Biblical hope is not puny, neither wistful desire nor wishful thinking; it is powerful. Scripturally, hope is found in the best of company, “There are three things that will endure – faith, hope and love.” 1 Corinthians 13:13 NLT. “We who have fled to take hold of the hope offered to us may be greatly encouraged. We have this hope as an anchor of the soul, firm and secure.” Read Hebrews 6:17-20 NIV. As I study the Bible, I observe three powerful truths about hope.

1) Hope elevates your experience, inspiring dignity even in difficulty. Romans 8:18 NIV. 2) Hope encourages your endurance, reminding you not to give up. Romans 15:4 NIV. 3) Hope empowers your expectations, lifting your eyes beyond the immediate, strengthening your hands with promises and possibilities, and assuring your heart of the miraculous. Romans 4:18-21 NIV.

Luke, a physician and author, recorded the story of, “a woman which had a spirit of infirmity eighteen years, and was bent over and could in no way raise herself up.” Read Luke 13:10 -16. People often endure the worst of things if of brief duration, but that same person can feel overwhelmed by a lesser difficulty when help seems delayed. Progressively, her physical body drained of vitality and strength, yet she was “in the synagogue on the Lord’s Day,” a woman of faith, in the place of faith, among the people of faith. She had not come that day expecting to meet Jesus, but Jesus came to that synagogue to meet her. Your obedience and consecration can cause your schedule to intersect with God’s sovereignty.

The heart of Jesus is clearly expressed in His words, “Should not this woman whom Satan has kept bound for eighteen long years, be set free?” Verse 16 NIV. I love the simplicity of Luke’s four part description, “Jesus saw her . . He called her to Him . . Jesus said to her . . Jesus laid His hands on her . .” The result was predictable. “And instantly she could stand straight.” Your hope can be renewed in the Word of God, at the house of God, with the people of God, and by the power of the Spirit of God.

I have included a link – https://vimeo.com/132153671 – to the expanded teaching I shared at Cathedral of Faith, San Jose, CA. – “Finding Help When Losing Hope.”  Could I ask a favor? If you watch the Video Teaching, would you send a simple reply to this email?

Today, I pray for you that a steadfast hope remains alive in your heart.