If we’re honest, we all have aspects of our lives in which we would prefer were different, as well as some things we hope will get better
No doubt you’re running through a list of things in your mind right now that you wished would change. But rather than wishful thinking, wouldn’t it be more helpful to grasp a Biblical frame-of-reference surrounding what real hope for a better future could look like?
Hebrews 11:1 says, “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for (divinely guaranteed), and the evidence of things not seen.” Faith in Jesus is a prerequisite of Biblical hope as facts that can’t be experienced by our physical senses.
Salvation precedes a confident reality of hope. 1 Peter 1:3-4 says, “All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is by his great mercy that we have been born again, because God raised Jesus Christ from the dead. Now we live with great expectation, and we have a priceless inheritance—an inheritance that is kept in heaven for you, pure and undefiled, beyond the reach of change and decay.”
Paul says in Galatians 5:4-5, “For if you are trying to make yourselves right with God by keeping the law, you have been cut off from Christ! You have fallen away from God’s grace. But we who live by the Spirit eagerly wait to receive by faith the righteousness God has promised to us.”
Paul also says in Romans 8:24-25, “We were given this hope when we were saved. If we already have something, we don’t need to hope for it. But if we look forward to something we don’t yet have, we must wait patiently and confidently.”
Titus 3:4-7 says, “But When God our Savior revealed his kindness and love, he saved us, not because of the righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He washed away our sins, giving us a new birth and new life through the Holy Spirit. He generously poured out the Spirit upon us through Jesus Christ our Savior. Because of his grace he made us right in his sight and gave us confidence that we will inherit eternal life.
1 Timothy 4:8-10 says, “ For physical training is of some value, but godliness (spiritual training) is of value in everything and in every way, since it holds promise for the present life and for the life to come. This is a faithful and trustworthy saying worthy of full acceptance and approval. It is for this that we labor and strive, because we have fixed our hope on the living God, who is the Savior of all people, especially of those who believe.”
The God of the bible is not like a genie in a bottle who grants our every wish at our every whim. When we choose to put our faith, and trust, and hope entirely into Jesus, then and only then will we experience what Paul says here in Philippians 4:6-7, “Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.”
I personally can’t imagine anything better than that! Can you?