Five Verses About Hope

When I was asked to write this post of five verses about hope, I immediately thought “easy”. I was soon proven to be wrong. Not because Scripture is void of hope or hope-filled verses. The problem was just the opposite: the entirety of the Bible is hope. Hope for every person in every season of life, every day. So, here are five verses about hope that aren’t the obvious Jeremiah 29:11-type verses (not that there’s anything wrong with that!).

My prayer is that God fills you with hope as you read these verses and my little synopsis of each one.

“But the Lord God called to the man, ‘Where are you?’”
Genesis 3:9

I love this verse. When God says this, Adam and Eve had just been deceived by Satan, eaten the fruit of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, and sin had entered the world. God knew all of this, and He knew exactly where Adam and Eve were. They were hiding from Him. And the first thing He says to them is, “Where are you?” What a hope-filled picture of who God is. Adam and Eve clearly expected to be reprimanded and punished for what they had done. There were, of course, consequences, but we see God ask a question He already knew the answer to, showing them that He would always want them, chase after them, and love them. And more than that, God would redeem their mistakes. He already had a plan to do just that because He is love. Have hope because God is love.

“For the Lord God is a sun and shield; the Lord bestows favor and honor; no good thing does he withhold from those whose walk is blameless.”
Psalm 84:11

Do you ever find yourself unsatisfied with what you have? God gives you great blessings and yet, it’s never enough. That’s because we’re human, we’ll always want more, and sometimes the things we want seem like they’ll never come. Sometimes we feel like God is withholding good things from us. Every time I read this verse, I’m reminded of who God is. God is all-knowing, all-powerful AND He loves you and wants what’s best for you. He withholds no good thing from those whose walk is blameless. That brings me so much hope. So, if you feel like God just won’t give you that blessing, check how you’re living, and adjust accordingly. Sanctification in and of itself is hopeful. But if you are living in a pure way, find hope in knowing that if God hasn’t brought that desire of your heart into your life, it’s because it’s not good for you right now. And remember that God himself is good, and He does not withhold Himself from us. Have hope because God is good.

Discipline often feels like a negative thing, but it’s really a positive one. Discipline saves us from getting hurt and hurting others, from making bad decisions, and it teaches us that life isn’t all about what we want when we want it. Discipline is good, but as imperfect people, we can distort the purpose of discipline and use it for manipulation or cause unnecessary pain. God never does that. God only disciplines out of love. If you’re being disciplined by the Lord, it’s because He sees you as His child. That should bring you hope, because God disciplines us to protect us and to teach us. And He disciplines with gentleness and kindness. He convicts us and makes us feel more and more uncomfortable with sin the longer we walk with Him because it’s what’s best for us. Have hope because God is our Father.

“He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay.”
Matthew 28:6

This is a verse that you probably see on Instagram or Facebook 100 times on Easter. There’s good reason for that. The resurrection is the pinnacle moment that defines Christianity and everyone who professes faith in Jesus. That is the ultimate hope. But I want to focus on four little words in this verse that don’t get as much attention - “just as he said”. God is trustworthy. This should fill us with hope. God always has and always will do what He said He would. This is a bit hard for us fickle humans to wrap our brains around because we so often don’t do what we say we’re going to do. May I remind you that God is perfect. He will never promise something and not deliver. Have hope because God is trustworthy.

“‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.’ He who was seated on the throne said, ‘I am making everything new!’ Then he said, ‘Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.’”
Revelation 21:4-5

Technically, I’m cheating here because this is two verses, but these verses are what I, as someone who has believed in Jesus for many years, think of when I hear the word “hope”. This world can be hard. There is death and mourning and crying and pain every day, but Jesus is going to come back and redeem it all someday. He will right every wrong and usher in the perfection of eternity, and we will live with God as He originally intended. It’s what every soul longs for, and it’s what every person can have, if only they put their trust in Jesus. Praise be to God. Have hope because God is the redeemer.

Cover photo by Mark Oliver Jodoin on Unsplash

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