In God's mercy toward us he has given us hope both in this life and for the life to come. This has been made possible through his everlasting promise to us and because our faith in Jesus Christ is already built on hope and faith. In fact, hope is an irreplaceable part of our life of faith, because it is the spiritual outcome of a solid faith in Jesus Christ.
History is full of examples of people who lost hope, many of whom also lost their direction in life. On the other hand, many have achieved miracles when they were able to hold tight to hope.
All over the world people's lives are under the control of Satan. They engage in all kinds of dark behavior, from addiction to alcohol and drugs to murder and suicide. This behavior is a reflection of the lack of any real hope in their lives. "Remember what you were in the past. At that time you were apart from Christ. You were foreigners and did not belong to God's chosen people. You had no part in the covenants, which were based on God's promises to his people, and you lived in this world without hope and without God." (Ephesians 2:11-12)
But there is another way, a far better way. It is the hope that God alone can give. The apostle Paul speaks of it in (Romans 5:5): "This hope does not disappoint us, for God has poured out his love into our hearts by means of the Holy Spirit, who is God's gift to us."
Hope is the key to survival and life. Whoever loses hope and that optimism which is supposed to be part of our Christian identity, loses not only quality of life but even a reason to continue living. God intended our life to be abundant and full. Jesus says, "I have come in order that you might have life-life in all its fullness." (John 10:10).
Let us give thanks to the incarnate Lord who renewed our inner hope by coming to earth as a man, making it possible for us to continue to live in hope. "Let us hold on firmly to the hope we profess, because we can trust God to keep his promise." (Hebrews 10:23)
- 9 MAY -