"For whatever
things were written before were written for our learning, that we through the
patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope." (NKJ)
Or, from the Amplified Bible—"For whatever was thus written in former days was written for our
instruction, that by [our steadfast and patient] endurance and the
encouragement [drawn] from the Scriptures we might hold fast to and cherish
hope."
It struck me even more so how important the Word of God is
to maintaining and sustaining our hope. Not just a verse here and there, now
and then, but the whole Word of God from Genesis to Revelation. That includes
Leviticus and even those places where we read lists of name after name.
Every word of the Word is vital to our living in hope.
We call Hebrews 11 the Faith Chapter. But, really, it is a
chapter of hope. It is a Reader's Digest version of the rest of Scripture, of
the lives of those who clung to the God of Hope.
Biblical hope denotes confident expectation and
anticipation, the meaning of the Greek word, "elpis," used by Paul.
Hebrews 11:1 tells us that faith is the proof of hope. Here the word is "elpizō", meaning
to wait for salvation with joy and full confidence. Faith is the evidence to
all watching us of the hope we hold on to. It is the outward visual affect—joy
and confidence—of the reality of the hope we have.
As we read Scripture and follow the lives of those who've
gone before us, we are encouraged to follow their example, to keep stepping
forward and not give up—even if what we see with our eyes appears hope-less.
We, then, become living examples to others as we travel strength to strength,
glory to glory, walking out in faith the hope that indwells us. (Psalm 84:5-7;
2 Corinthians 3:18)
It makes me think of the Denver airport's traveling
sidewalk. It's moving, you're moving, yet sometimes the people congestion in
front of you makes you feel the urge to get off and run. Instead you relax,
enjoy the ride, and soon your faith becomes sight.
That is what praying moms who live in hope do. They keep
praying and don't give up. That is faith. That is the revealed evidence. That
is the lived out reality in human lives of our God who is Hope.
Our hope shared is what turns others to the Lord because
those who live in hope lean back into the river of peace that will carry them
through the roughest of circumstances.
"Now may the God
of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in
hope by the power of the Holy Spirit." Romans 15:13
Keep believing—God is working!
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