How can I cultivate stronger hope?

Psalm 119:43, 74, 81, 114, 147Do not snatch your word of truth from me, for your regulations are my only hope. . . . May all who fear you find in me a cause for joy, for I have put my hope in your word. . . . I am worn out waiting for your rescue, but I have put my hope in your word. . . . You are my refuge and my shield; your word is my source of hope. . . . I rise early, before the sun is up; I cry out for help and put my hope in your words.

Romans 15:4Such things were written in the Scriptures long ago to teach us. And the Scriptures give us hope and encouragement as we wait patiently for God’s promises to be fulfilled.

Each day we can read God’s Word and have our hope renewed and reinforced.

Hebrews 11:1Faith shows the reality of what we hope for; it is the evidence of things we cannot see.

Faith gives us assurance in our hope. Growing our faith will grow our hope as well. Because we trust God’s character and his power, we can trust his promises and the hope they bring.

1 Corinthians 13:12-13Now we see things imperfectly as in a cloudy mirror, but then we will see everything with perfect clarity. All that I know now is partial and incomplete, but then I will know everything completely, just as God now knows me completely. Three things will last forever—faith, hope, and love—and the greatest of these is love.

1 John 4:18Such love has no fear, because perfect love expels all fear. If we are afraid, it is for fear of punishment, and this shows that we have not fully experienced his perfect love.

When we love God and embrace his love for us, we learn to trust him and grow more confident in our hope. Our love for God also increases the joy of our hope because we desire eternity with him all the more.

Ephesians 3:20Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think.

In a sense, most people hope too little in God and expect too little from him. When we remind ourselves of the amazing things God has already done, we will know that we have reason to believe that the sovereign Lord of the universe wants to bless us more abundantly than we can imagine.