The God Of Hope

The God of Hope

“I know the plans I have for you,” says the LORD. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.” Jeremiah 29:11

IMAGINE TALKING WITH GOD about a really discouraging problem and suddenly hearing his audible voice agreeing with you: “Yes, this one is challenging. I’m not sure what to do about it. It’s beyond me.” Absurd, right? God is never discouraged, never hopeless, never at a loss for a solution. He sees the end of things from their beginning, he knows every option, and he opens doors and makes a way where there seemed to be no way at all. He never wrings his hands over a problem, and he never loses heart.

That may seem obvious to us. Not many who believe in God would suggest he gets stressed out like we do. But if he is full of hope, certainty, solutions, and redemptive ways, what are we suggesting when we are full of discouragement, uncertainty, and anxiety? If God is never discouraged over our lives and we are, aren’t we disagreeing with him? Something in our perspective is not lining up with his. It makes little sense to believe in a God of hope and continue to feel hopeless.

We can take comfort in the fact that if we saw God’s perspective at any given moment, we would be greatly encouraged. If he knows the good plans he has for us, then getting a glimpse of those plans—or even trusting in them while they remain unseen—would relieve all our concerns. We could be sure our prayers are accomplishing something in the spirit and moving him to intervene. We could know the outcome is something we will celebrate. We could embrace the hope he gives us without second-guessing it.

Go ahead and do that. Choose not to be discouraged. Admit that you don’t see the whole picture and agree with God that if you did, you would recognize how good it is. Hope is not based on understanding how everything works out. It’s trusting that it does. He is the God of hope. You can live with the expectation of his goodness in every area of your life.

Everything that is done in the world is done by hope.