READ: ROMANS 5:1-11; 15:13; HEBREWS 11

Hope is a four-letter word. Yet, between those four letters is a tremendous range of nuance. People can use hope to convey an innocent wish. “I hope it doesn’t rain on the picnic.” Or hope can be used to reveal an unrivaled desire. “I hope my grandma lives through Christmas.”

Our hope often conveys what we want to happen, but it doesn’t change what will happen. We have no control over the weather, people’s lifespans, or much else. So why is such a persnickety and ultimately powerless word plastered across churches? Because biblical hope is more than a mere desire. It carries a very special subtext. Anticipation.

Hope can be frail because it often shatters when the desire is unfulfilled. But what if you knew that what you hoped for was going to happen? Romans 5:5 says, “Hope does not put us to shame.” Why? Because the hope this verse is talking about is a hope placed in God Himself, and God always keeps His promises. This verse is talking about the hope that Jesus’s life, death, and resurrection has cleansed us of our sins. The hope that Jesus will come back again. The hope that we will live with Him in the new heavens and new earth one day. The hope that we will see our fellow believers again, and sorrow and pain will be gone forever. These are all things God promises to those who accept His gift of salvation by putting their faith in Jesus.

Hebrews 11 starts by saying, “Faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.” This chapter goes on to describe many people who were able to act in faith because they put their hope in something certain— God. So hope becomes the anticipation of something assured, not just a four-letter word. • Abigail Scibiur

• How can hoping for something assured change our outlook on life or even the way we act? (Hint: read 2 Corinthians 3:12; 1 Thessalonians 1:3; 4:13-14; Hebrews 10:22-25.)

• What are some specific promises God has made that we can put our hope in? Consider starting your own list of Scriptures about those promises to look at whenever you feel discouraged.

• Remember, our hope is ultimately in Jesus Himself (Ephesians 1:12). Because of His death and resurrection, we can rest in His promises, and we can also be honest with Him about what we want and need. There is power in expressing our desires to God in prayer because He has the power to change things. Consider taking some time to express your desires to Jesus. He is listening.

And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us. Romans 5:5 (NIV)