Having True Bible Hope

[TFDADD]

“O LORD God of our fathers, are You not God in heaven, and do You not rule over all the kingdoms of the nations, and in Your hand is there not power and might, so that no one is able to withstand You?” ~ 2 Chronicles 20:6 -

In 2 Chronicles 20:3–4, we see that when faced with what appeared to be certain destruction, King Jehoshaphat set himself to seek the Lord. Today’s scripture is part of his prayer.

Note that instead of rehashing his fears to the Lord and lamenting about how overpowered by their enemies their small tribe was, Jehoshaphat centered his prayer and thoughts on just how big and powerful his God truly is. He proclaimed boldly that “no one is able to withstand” the Lord—no one! In a hopeless situation, he hoped in the Lord.

I call that Bible hope! Hope is a beautiful word in the Bible. Hope in the New Testament is the Greek word elpis, which is defined as a “favorable and confident expectation” or “the happy anticipation of good.” This means that when you hope in the Lord, there is a joy in your countenance (simply put, a smile on your face). There is a confident assurance in your heart that, bleak as the circumstances appear to be, it’s not over yet.

Unfortunately, the word “hope” as used in our modern vernacular/(omgangstaal) is completely different and sometimes even antithetical/(teenstrydig) to the way the Bible defines it. When we say things such as, “I hope that I will get the job,” our use of the word connotes uncertainty, doubt, and ambivalence/(huiwering).

The Word of God declares that “this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us” (Rom. 5:5 NLT). We can have true hope—a certain, joyful, confident expectation of good—when we rightly believe how dearly God loves us! There is a direct and proportionate correlation between hope and rightly believing in God’s love for you. Hope springs in your heart when you believe that God loves you.

No matter how adverse your circumstances may seem today, put your trust in the Lord. Believe that God is working behind the scenes on your behalf, and that He is turning the situation around for your good (Rom. 8:28). All His abundant heavenly resources, His power, His healing, His restoration, His deliverance, His provision, His favor, His help, His comfort, and His love are with you and on your side, waiting to be unleashed upon you. The Lord your God will open up the windows of heaven over your life and pour out for you such a blessing that there won’t be room enough to receive it!

When our entire hope and trust is in Him, we can count on His promises toward us. This hope never disappoints, which means that your greatest victories are ahead of you.

Amen.

[partner]

Pragtig. Baie Dankies.

[Dash431]

Amen!