“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit” (Romans 15:13*).
Hope is usually defined as a desire for something accompanied by an expectation of its fulfillment. If it doesn't come to pass, we can easily become discouraged. We have an enemy who wants to steal our hope. As the father of lies, Satan tries to keep our focus on the circumstances around us, causing us to doubt God's love and care for us.
So sometimes, we may feel desperate and abandoned, but emotions are not something we can rely on. As children of the Heavenly Father, our circumstances are never hopeless because He promises to work everything for our good (Romans 8:28*). However, His concept of "good" doesn't always match ours. Too often, we set our hope on things in this world, while the Lord prioritizes our spiritual well-being.
Disappointment and discouragement result from hope in the wrong direction. This doesn't mean we can't have dreams and expectations. But we must be willing to let go of them readily, willing to submit to God and trust that He continues to work for our good when they are not realized. Our expectations for this life are temporary, but we have a living hope in Christ that does not fade and is eternal.
Link to the original article: https://www.intouchuk.org/read/daily-devotions/the-source-of-our-hope
Biblical quotes are from Bible, New Translation from the Original Languages © Bulgarian Bible Society 2013