Today is the day the Lord has made…
I will rejoice today because I have something most of the world doesn’t have. I have hope! Hope is one of the big three Christian principles: faith, hope, and love (1 Corinthians 13:13).
It’s difficult to have hope in a world filled with poverty, war, hunger, epidemics, hatred, and the ability for one crazy person to push a button that will annihilate civilization as we know it. No wonder people are hurting and uncertain about what the future holds.
A groundbreaking study from the University of Missouri shows hope may be even more essential to well-being than happiness or gratitude. They found that hope isn’t just wishful thinking—it’s a powerful emotional force that gives our lives meaning. Hope is a feeling the future will be better.
Believe it or not, hope is as necessary to the human spirit as oxygen is to the physical body. When we lose hope we are overcome with despair and lack of purpose. Without hope we lose all desire to go on. Our problems overwhelm us. Not having hope can literally destroy our lives.
Christians have hope. Hope is not something that magically appears. It comes from Christ living in us (Colossians 1:27). Christ is our hope (1 Timothy 1:1). Our hope is connected with our relationship with God. When Jesus died and was resurrected, we were begotten into a living hope (1 Peter 1:3-5). We have an inheritance that will not fade away. Our future is secure.
“Happy is he…whose hope is in the Lord his God.” ~Psalm 146:5
