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READ: ROMANS 5:1-11; 15:13; HEBREWS 11\n\n\n\nHope 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. \u201cI hope it doesn\u2019t rain on the picnic.\u201d Or hope can be used to reveal an unrivaled desire. \u201cI hope my grandma lives through Christmas.\u201d\n\n\n\nOur hope often conveys what we want to happen, but it doesn\u2019t change what will happen. We have no control over the weather, people\u2019s 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.\n\n\n\nHope 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, \u201cHope does not put us to shame.\u201d 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\u2019s 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.\n\n\n\nHebrews 11 starts by saying, \u201cFaith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.\u201d This chapter goes on to describe many people who were able to act in faith because they put their hope in something certain\u2014 God. So hope becomes the anticipation of something assured, not just a four-letter word. \u2022 Abigail Scibiur\n\n\n\n\u2022 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.)\n\n\n\n\u2022 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.\n\n\n\n\u2022 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.\n\n\n\nAnd hope does not put us to shame, because God\u2019s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us. Romans 5:5 (NIV)