How do we keep HOPE alive all year round? Hope is a little word, but it's a word that means so much! If we don't have hope, what do we have? Not much, really. The word hope is mentioned in the Bible about 129 times, depending on what version you are looking at. But we must remember we can't have hope without faith. They go together like peanut butter and jelly. And the word faith is in the Bible 336 times. Faith is what keeps hope alive.
In our Gospel of Matthew 4:18-22, As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. "Come, follow me," Jesus said, "and I will send you out to fish for people." At once, they left their nets and followed him. Going on from there, he saw two other brothers, James, son of Zebedee, and his brother John. They were in a boat with their father, Zebedee, preparing their nets. Jesus called them, and immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him.
Why would Peter, Andrew, James, and John follow Jesus if they didn't know anything about him? That's what it sounds like in Matthew, but in Luke, who covers this encounter more thoroughly in Luke 5, Jesus asked Peter to use his boat to stand in to preach. The water would help magnify his voice so he wouldn't have to yell to the crowd, but it also gave these fishermen a chance to hear Jesus speak. His sermon gave them hope and an understanding of the Word of God no one had shared before.
How did God take twelve men, whom Jesus recruited to share the Gospel, to now having 2.2 billion Christians in the world today? Only God can do that. It was never more prevalent than just a couple of weeks ago at a football game in Cincinnati when a Buffalo Bills football player, Damar Hamlin, suffered a cardiac arrest on the field after a play. That stadium became the largest prayer service ever held, with not only a stadium full of fans praying, but through television during prime-time football, many were praying for this young man to live. That's faith keeping hope alive. Through God's grace, Damar is doing better, and through the prayers of so many, God is restoring health back into him. Again, only God can do that.
It says in Romans 15:13 May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope. As long as we keep our faith alive in God, He is our hope. We can do that today when we keep Faith, Hope, and Love in our hearts all year round. Jeremiah 17:7 says, Blessed is the man that trusteth in the LORD, and whose hope the LORD is.
Why should we keep hope alive in our hearts? Five reasons that I find,
5. We have eternal life awaiting us.
4. We are created for God's purpose.
3. God will never love us any more than he does at this moment.
2. We have the Holy Spirit inside us to guide us.
1. We are completely forgiven for our sins because Jesus died on the cross for us.
I heard this the other day and thought it was so profound. "A lawn mower can't fix itself, but a broken crayon can still color." We may be broken in many ways, but we can still color hope into our lives and others by keeping our faith strong in the Lord. Which crayon are you choosing to use today?
Let's pray:
Dear Heavenly Father, thank you, Lord, for your Word that gives us so much hope. We thank you for showing us that you love us every day, by the way, you guide our footsteps. You are the way, the truth, and the life, Lord. Our hope is in you that you continue to guide and love us every day. Your love is eternal Lord. Thank you that you give us so much to hope for. In Jesus' Holy name, we pray. Amen.
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