Pulpit Magazine

(By Nathan Busenitz)

In our short series on this topic (interspersed throughout the last two weeks), we’ve considered five reasons why we can hope in God with absolute confidence. His promises to us, both for this life and the next, can be heartily embraced because their certainty is absolute. As the Psalmist prayed in Psalm 33:20-22: “Our soul waits for the LORD; He is our help and our shield. For our heart rejoices in Him, because we trust in His holy name. Let Your lovingkindness, O LORD, be upon us, according as we have hoped in You.”

In thinking about all of this, I can’t help imagining the little boy who looks down at his father, willing to jump from what seems to be an enormous height, because he is confident that his daddy will catch him. A plunge he would never otherwise take, the child leaps eagerly into the air, unafraid of gravity’s pull or the firm earth below. There is nothing to fear, his daddy promised to catch him and he’s never been dropped before.

Life is often like that jump. There is an element of uncertainty and unknown. The pitfalls and drop-offs are very real and very dangerous. Yet, as God’s children, we have no reason to worry or cower, our heavenly Father will catch us. Whether we face temporary trials or the final reality of death, we need not be afraid. God is there with us, and He’ll be there on the other side as well.

Like that young boy, we have no reason not to trust our Father. After all, He is a promise-keeping God who does not take back His words (Isaiah 31:2). We can hope in Him because of who He is (His Person), because of what He can do (His power), because of what He is doing (His plan), because of what He has already done (His past record), and because of how much He loves those who belong to Him (His parental care).

So, when God offers us hope, it is much more than just a desired possibility. The promises God has made to us are certain. They will not be foiled, because God is in total control. They will not be letdowns, because they involve our utmost good. And, finally, they will not be broken, because God keeps His Word. Biblical hope is true hope. It can be embraced with confidence, because of the God who guarantees it: “I am the LORD; those who hope in me will not be disappointed” (Isaiah 49:23).

Our necessary response, as Hebrews 10:23 urges, is simple this: “Hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful.”

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