Hope

        There are some things in the world today that just exist by God's own plan.  Take for instance the oyster that simply sits in the water and perchance something comes by that can be used as food for this small living creature.  It has no legs or fins or any means of propulsion.  It just sits there.  I sincerely doubt that the oyster thinks about hope that something will come by for its food source.  I also see very little evidence of many of God's living creatures having "hope" in the world today.  Man, however, has been created differently and therefore can hope and express a desire for hope in his or her life.  Psalm 130:5 says, " I wait for the LORD, my soul doth wait, and in his word do I hope."
       In  Hebrews 11, in the faith chapter, the writer expressed that faith is the substance of things hoped for.  the word "hope" occurs some 130 times in the Bible and is especially linked to God's Word in the Book of Psalms and elsewhere.  While so many of God's creatures merely exist because of God's handiwork, we can find assurance in the very Word of God.  I have faith in God and what He will do in my life and that faith is based on the Scriptures.  Hope, for the average person of the world, is based on something happening to them or receiving something for absolutely no reason.  Such hope is often expressed in the long lines to purchase a lottery ticket in hope of winning a large amount of money.  Hope for the world exists in receiving something for nothing such as a new car or a new home.  For the believer, our hope exists because of the promises of God's Word.  This is the hope that gets us through the day and through the adversity that appears so often in our lives. The words of the hymn come to mind that says, "My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus' blood and righteousness."  He is our rock and our salvation.   So, maybe you find yourself today in a situation where things look bleak and dark and filled with despair.  If so, you can find hope in God's Word.  We can find comfort for today's anxieties in His Word.  The opposite is certainly true in that when we find that we seem to be hopeless and at the end of our rope, we have not been in His Word.  It is as though we are living in a desert with no help in sight.  When you begin your day make sure you have your daily dose of God's Word.  Praise God today for His Word and for the hope that He gives to each and every believer.