The Beauty of True Hope

I think what we all need right now, at the end of one of the strangest and for many of us, one of the hardest years we have ever faced, is hope. I wish I could hand you hope in a box to unwrap and hold in your hands, but that’s not how it works. All I can do is point you in the direction in which hope is found.

Our hope and our help come from the Father - from His love shown to us when He sent His Son, whose birth we celebrate.

When was the last time you sat silently with your Maker? Let me encourage you to do so right now, for 5 minutes, just sit. You can meditate on a verse, or you can simply breathe. Spend time in fellowship with Him, the same way you spend time with a friend. Because that is what we were made for - fellowship, relationship, friendship with the Father, made possible by the Son through the Holy Spirit. And in this relationship, we find hope.

So, go spend time with the Father.
 
Here are a few thoughts and verses to get you started:

• The Father is always in control (you don’t have to be). 
• Your value is not determined by your achievements or actions; you are loved for you.
• His love is steadfast.
• "Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell [Him] what you need, and thank Him for all he has done. Then you will experience His peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in [the Son]" Phil. 4:6-7
• "So we don’t look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever" 2 Cor. 4:18
• "Let all that I am wait quietly before [the Father],
      for my hope is in Him.
• He alone is my rock and my salvation, my fortress where I will not be shaken" Ps. 62:5-6
• "How great is the goodness You have stored up for those who fear You. You lavish it on those who come to You for protection, blessing them before the watching world.
• You hide them in the shelter of Your presence, safe from those who conspire against them. You shelter them in Your presence, far from accusing tongues" Ps. 31:19-20

These are all reminders of our hope in Christ and how He is the hope we need. As we walk through all that 2021 will bring for us, may we stand strong on the true hope that we have in Christ, what a beautiful truth to stand on!