Do you have hope in Jesus?
Jesus is our Living Hope, and he invites us to put our hope in him during times of discouragement.
When life is challenging, most of us feel tempted to try to take control. It’s tempting to put our hope in our human abilities to change our difficult circumstances.
Meanwhile, for those of us who have received Jesus as Lord and Savior, our hope is not found in our abilities, strengths, or good works. Our hope is in Christ Jesus.
Jesus is the hope of the world. He is seated at the right hand of God, and he is also present with us in every storm and trial of life.
Through the power of the Holy Spirit, he equips us to face life’s challenges, and he will never leave us or abandon us. His presence with us is our ever-present, living hope.
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What Does it Mean to Hope in Jesus?
Often when we use the word “hope” today, we’re talking about wishful thinking or an unknown outcome. “I hope it is warmer tomorrow.” “Hopefully we can go on our trip this summer.”
However, when the Bible talks about hope, it is using the word in a different way. When the Bible talks of hope it means that there is a confident expectation and not just wishful thinking. It means to have faith or trust in something.
Perhaps you want to put your hope in Jesus, but you’re not sure what this looks like on a practical level. Let’s briefly explore several components of putting our hope in Jesus.
When we put our hope in Jesus, we learn to find peace in his presence instead of searching for peace in our circumstances.
Instead of trying to fix situations that are out of our control, we rest in the love of God, stand on the promises of God, and trust that the God of hope is working in our lives.
Putting our hope in Jesus includes learning to rest in him when all hope seems lost. This includes spending time alone with Jesus daily and letting him love us. During these times, God’s power fills us and enables us to press forward through life’s trials.
Additionally, when we put our hope in Jesus, we remember that when life is difficult, we have the blessed hope of eternal life with God in heaven.
Those who have called upon the name of the Son of God will spend eternity in heaven with him. We will face no more suffering, pain, or loss.
Putting our hope in Jesus includes learning to trust him even when we don't understand what he is doing.
We can trust that the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ will work all things together for our good—even in the most challenging circumstances.
Our greatest source of hope and strength is found in trusting that Jesus is with us in even the most difficult and hopeless situations. He will never leave us and knowing that Jesus is with us can transform even the most hopeless situations.
Why Do We Have Hope in Jesus
So, why do we have hope in Jesus? As we’ll see, Jesus is much more than wishful thinking or an unknown outcome. In fact, Jesus is our only hope, the hope of the world. Without faith in Christ, our hope rests on what is shaky and temporary.
Our hope depends in great part on our belief system. If you are trusting in your family or the government system to provide for you and keep you safe, then you’re walking on unstable ground.
Related: Two Important Ways the Resurrection is Our Hope
If you trust in your strict food choices and exercise to keep you healthy, then you’re relying totally on yourself. Maybe you’re depending on your job or your children for your happiness.
However, these things can all let you down and disappoint. Put your hope in God, not man. As we’ll discuss, there are great reasons we can be confident in putting our hope in Jesus.
We Have Hope in Jesus Through Salvation
First of all, as Christians, our whole faith hinges on the hope in salvation that we have through the death of Jesus on the cross.
This is the good news of the gospel — that Jesus, who was perfect, died in our place. We no longer need to live as slaves to sin. This is the hope that Paul reminds us is proclaimed in all creation under heaven!
We Have Hope in Jesus‘ Resurrection
What sets Christianity apart from every other religion in the world is that we have hope in the resurrection of Jesus. Without the resurrection of Jesus, our faith would be worthless.
We would just be following the teachings of a man and not God. This is not the case, however. We serve a risen Lord, and there is amazing hope in that!
We Have Hope in Jesus Through the Holy Spirit
Not only is Jesus our hope because of His death and resurrection, but He didn’t leave us to live life on our own.
As Christians, we have the Holy Spirit living inside of us and empowering us to do all that God has called us to do and be.
Through the power of the Holy Spirit, we are free to love and serve others as God has called us to do.
We are now dead to sin and alive in Christ. Since there is hope in Jesus, we desire to seek the things that are above and not be so strapped down and distracted by the things of this world.
Our Hope in Jesus is Eternal Life
This world is only temporary. We have been put here to love and worship God alone. We are here to share the love of Jesus and the good news of the gospel with those around us.
Even if we’re going through difficult times, we have the hope of eternal life. We have hope that Jesus has already won the battle. Think of it: eternity in heaven with Jesus! This life is but a breath in the grand scheme of eternity, so keep living with an eternal focus.
“in hope of eternal life, which God, who never lies, promised before the ages began” Titus 1:2
Hope in Jesus Verses
God's Word offers many promises about the confident expectation we can cling to when we put our hope in the Living God. God can never be anything other than glorious, and when we put our hope in the glory of God, our hope is built on a firm foundation.
Let’s look at what the Bible says about putting our hope in the Lord.
- “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead” (1 Peter 1:3, ESV).
- “So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day” (2 Corinthians 4:16).
- “For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal” (2 Corinthians 4:17-18).
- “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen” (Hebrews 11:1).
- “We have this as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, a hope that enters into the inner place behind the curtain” (Hebrews 6:19).
- “So the poor have hope, and injustice shuts her mouth” (Job 5:16).
- “To them God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory” (Colossians 1:27).
- “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope” (Romans 5:13).
- “But they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint” (Isaiah 40:31).
- “For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience” (Romans 8:24-25).
- “And hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us” (Romans 5:5).
- “He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away” (Revelation 21:4).
- “Having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints” (Ephesians 1:18).
- “The Lord your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing” (Zephaniah 3:17).
- “Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand” (Isaiah 41:10).
- “But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and for a helmet the hope of salvation” (1 Thessalonians 5:8).
- “Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:13-14).
- “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16).
- “As for the rich in this present age, charge them not to be haughty, nor to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly provides us with everything to enjoy” (1 Timothy 6:17).
- ” If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth” (Colossians 3:1-2).
- “Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose trust is the Lord. He is like a tree planted by water, that sends out its roots by the stream, and does not fear when heat comes, for its leaves remain green, and is not anxious in the year of drought, for it does not cease to bear fruit” (Jeremiah 17:7-8).
- “But now thus says the Lord, he who created you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel: ‘Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you’” (Isaiah 43:1-2).
- “The Lord roars from Zion, and utters his voice from Jerusalem, and the heavens and the earth quake. But the Lord is a refuge to his people, a stronghold to the people of Israel” (Joel 3:16).
- “Return to your stronghold, O prisoners of hope; today I declare that I will restore to you double” (Zechariah 9:12).
- “Remember that you were at that time separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world” (Ephesians 2:12).
- “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me” (Psalm 23:1-4).
- “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come” (2 Corinthians 5:17).
- “And we desire each one of you to show the same earnestness to have the full assurance of hope until the end” (Hebrews 6:11).
Jesus is our Hope of glory and the Savior of all people. By clinging to him, our only Hope, we can trust that we will not be disappointed.
Jesus is Our Living Hope
In his letter to the Colossian church, the Apostle Paul encouraged the Colossian believers to “continue in the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel that you heard, which has been proclaimed in all creation under heaven” (Colossians 1:23).
These words are a gentle reminder that as we cling to the hope of the good news of the gospel, we can trust that hope will not disappoint us.
When was the last time you were tempted to despair or felt hopeless? Don't lose heart. God has given you new birth into a new life through Jesus Christ, and he is your Living Hope.
Jesus is with you today, and he wants to help you endure the challenging circumstances you are facing. He is ready to give you strength and power, and you can trust that nothing is too hard for him.
Let Jesus’ presence fill you with hope and joy. As the words of Proverbs 10:28 read, “The hope of the righteous brings joy, but the expectation of the wicked will perish.” Jesus wants you to be filled with joy as you put your hope in him!
Furthermore, there will come a day when we will all see Jesus face-to-face.
Titus 2:13 describes this time of waiting as, “waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ.”
No matter what you are facing today, don’t lose heart! Jesus is with you to strengthen you and help you.
Also, remember that this world is only temporary. We will all be united with Christ one day, and we will meet our Personal Hope face-to-face.
Jesus is our only hope, and by putting our hope in Him, we are submitting to His love and care for us as His child. Our hope is in the God who reigns is over all, and there is so much comfort in that!
