God's Hope is non-disappointing!

At the beginning of this year, I asked the Lord for one word that I could focus on in 2015. The word He impressed upon my heart was HOPE.  Interestingly, during the last weekend of January, at Global Impact (a mission’s conference held at one of the churches in Oklahoma City), I felt as though the Lord has confirmed it.  Each of the church   kids got FAITH, HOPE and LOVE stamped in their “passports,” at various ministry tables in the Gym. The table I manned was assigned the HOPE stamp. After the conference, the children’s director let me keep the stamp (pictured) as a reminder of God’s Word for the year :)
 

In my desire to be God’s instrument of bringing hope to those experiencing difficult situations, I searched the Scriptures to find the word, “HOPE.”  Two Scripture verses kept coming to mind. They were Jeremiah 29:11 and Romans 5:5:

• “For 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, New Living Translation). 

•   “Such hope [in God’s promises] never disappoints us, because God’s love has been abundantly poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.” (Romans 5:5, Amplified Bible). 

A reflection on God’s hope, especially in terms of its non-disappointing nature is encouraging. The Greek Word, “καταισχύνω,” (kataischuno) used for “never disappoints us,” in Romans 5:5, can also be translated to:

1. “Does not disgrace us”
2. “Does not put us to shame.”

According to Biblehub.com, there are 13 occurrences of the word (kataischuno) in the New Testament. I am thankful that God’s hope will not put us to shame or lead to disappointment.  Other kinds of hopes are empty and will disappoint, dishonor and disgrace us.

God’s hope is non-disappointing because it is found in Jesus through the Spirit and it empowers us to keep going when the going gets tough. For instance, when God closes a door we don’t lose hope in Him because we know from His Word that He keeps His promises. One of His promises is “He opens doors and no one can shut them; He shuts doors, and no one can open them.” (Revelation 33:7b).  Another great promise is that His plans are for our good—they are to give us a hope and a future (cf. Jeremiah 29:11).
 

Hope works hand in hand with faith and love in that “faith goes up the stairs that love has built and looks out the windows which hope has opened.” (Charles Spurgeon).  It is my hope and prayer that we will allow God’s love to be poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit. It is only when this happens that we will understand the width, the length, the height, and the depth of God’s love for us (cf. Romans 5:5 and Ephesians 3:16-19). Such an understanding will enable us to overcome disappointment that sometimes arises from unforeseen situations. Let us always remember that hope in the Lord does not disappoint us, even though we may be disappointed by certain circumstances or some of the people around us. What a blessing to know that we can count on the Lord to lift us up! In fact, the Apostle Peter’s exhortation reminds us of this:

“So, humble yourselves under God’s strong hand, and in His own good time He will lift you up. You can throw the whole weight of your anxieties upon Him, for you are His personal concern.”

(1 Peter 5:6-7, J.B. Phillips New Testament)
 

One British Baptist preacher, known as “the Prince of Preachers,” saw the role of hope in adverse times. He indicated that “hope itself is like a star, not to be seen in the sunshine of prosperity, and only to be discovered in the night of adversity.” (Charles Spurgeon).  At such times, therefore, the non-disappointing hope of God is evident. As long as we have Jesus as our Lord and Savior, we can continue to have hope even when we face difficult situations.
 

We cannot stop disappointing times from knocking on our door, but when they do, we should learn to ask for the Lord’s help.  When our expectations are not fulfilled, or we lose a job or our health, we sometimes have no idea what is going on. It is at those moments that we need God’s wisdom and discernment to know if what we are facing are wake-up calls or growth moments for us. Does the Lord want us to realize that we have been leaning on disappointing hope (s) or is He using what has transpired to refine us and use our circumstance for our good and for His glory?
 

Not matter what our situation maybe, let us be encouraged to rely upon our God whose hope does not disappoint us. Let us not be like the people in the day of prophet Jeremiah who had committed two sins:

1. They forsook the Lord, the Fountain of Living Water, and
2. They dug for themselves cisterns that hold no water at all. (cf. Jeremiah 2:13)

Broken cisterns are like disappointing hopes, but the Lord our God, the Fountain of Living Water, is our non-disappointing hope. Let us choose wisely and act accordingly. God bless!