Hope in the Lord, Both Now and Forever

Hope is expressed universally in humanity. Everyone hopes for something. The hope could be for something good and noble, or it could be for something evil and ignoble. Hope can be reasonable or unreasonable. In fact, "hope" is such an elastic word we ought to consider what the Scriptures say regarding hope and ask the following: What is hope? How do you define hope? What does hope look like? When you look at the text today, there is one part of hope which is often neglected; whether or not it is resting upon the Sovereign and Omnipotent Creator. Hope that is based upon the promises of God, and is based upon the trust that He will both accomplish all of His holy will and never withhold any good thing from His people, is a hope which will endure. That is, as we confess, "…[He] is for the sake of Christ, His Son, my God and my Father, in whom I so trust, as to have no doubt that He will provide me with all things necessary for body and soul; and further, that whatever evil He sends upon me in this vale of tears, He will turn to my good; for He is able to do it, being almighty God, and willing also, being a faithful Father." (Heidelberg Catechism, Q/A 26) This is the true and reasonable hope. This is a biblical hope. – Pastor Schlegel