Researchers conclude hope is more of an intellectual aspect that may provoke an emotion than it is an emotion itself. Hope can be considered an attitude, an approach to life after considering multiple ‘what if’ scenarios.
What does the Bible say about Hope?
H healing and help for
O overcoming
P problems
E especially for you and me
Jesus Christ concerns Himself intimately with you and your circumstances. He loves you without conditions and without end. He has a good plan for your life. He died on the cross and rose again from the dead to defeat your enemy, death, and to pay the penalty for your sins and my sins that warrant death.

Jesus Christ is your hope -1Timothy 1;
1Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the commandment of God our Saviour, and Lord Jesus Christ, which is our hope;
17 Now unto the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only wise God, be honour and glory for ever and ever. Amen.

Jesus Christ is the God of Hope- Romans 15:
13 Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost.

Your hope is lively – 1 Peter 1:
3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,

Hope is your anchor – Hebrews 6:
17 Wherein God, willing more abundantly to shew unto the heirs of promise the immutability of his counsel, confirmed it by an oath:
18 That by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us:
19 Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and stedfast, and which entereth into that within the veil;
20 Whither the forerunner is for us entered, even Jesus, made an high priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec

There is one hope of your calling-Ephesians 1:
4There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling;
5 One Lord, one faith, one baptism,
6 One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.

You are called in hope-Ephesians1:
15 Wherefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus, and love unto all the saints,
16 Cease not to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers;
17 That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him:
18 The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints,
19 And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power,
20 Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places,
21 Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come:

Ephesians 4:
4 There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling;

Reasons to hope -Lamentations 3
21 This I recall to my mind, therefore have I hope.
22 [It is of] the LORD’S mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not.
23 [They are] new every morning: great [is] thy faithfulness.
24 The LORD [is] my portion, saith my soul; therefore will I hope in him.
25 The LORD [is] good unto them that wait for him, to the soul [that] seeketh him.
26 [It is] good that [a man] should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the LORD.

Colossians 1:
5 For the hope which is laid up for you in heaven, whereof ye heard before in the word of the truth of the gospel
21 And you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled
22 In the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in his sight:
23 If ye continue in the faith grounded and settled, and be not moved away from the hope of the gospel, which ye have heard, and which was preached to every creature which is under heaven; whereof I Paul am made a minister;
24 Who now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up that which is behind of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh for his body’s sake, which is the church:
25 Whereof I am made a minister, according to the dispensation of God which is given to me for you, to fulfil the word of God;
26 Even the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his saints:
27 To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory:

The Process of Hope: grace, tribulation, patience, experience, hope- Romans 5:
2 By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.
3 And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience;
4 And patience, experience; and experience, hope:
5 And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.

Abraham’s Example of Hope-Romans 4:
16 Therefore it is of faith, that it might be by grace; to the end the promise might be sure to all the seed; not to that only which is of the law, but to that also which is of the faith of Abraham; who is the father of us all,
17 (As it is written, I have made thee a father of many nations,) before him whom he believed, even God, who quickeneth the dead, and calleth those things which be not as though they were.
18 Who against hope believed in hope, that he might become the father of many nations, according to that which was spoken, So shall thy seed be.
19 And being not weak in faith, he considered not his own body now dead, when he was about an hundred years old, neither yet the deadness of Sarah’s womb:
20 He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God;
21 And being fully persuaded that, what he had promised, he was able also to perform.

Imagine being childless, 90 years old and being told you are to be the father to many nations.. What would you think? How to comprehend the greatness of Jesus Christ?

As you meditate on these verses, ask God for help in applying them to your situation
Psalms 31
24 Be of good courage, and he shall strengthen your heart, all ye that hope in the LORD.
Psalm 33:
18 Behold, the eye of the LORD [is] upon them that fear him, upon them that hope in his mercy;
19 To deliver their soul from death, and to keep them alive in famine.
20 Our soul waiteth for the LORD: he [is] our help and our shield.
21 For our heart shall rejoice in him, because we have trusted in his holy name.
22 Let thy mercy, O LORD, be upon us, according as we hope in thee.

Jeremiah 17
7 Blessed [is] the man that trusteth in the LORD, and whose hope the LORD is.
Joel 3
16 The LORD also shall roar out of Zion, and utter his voice from Jerusalem; and the heavens and the earth shall shake: but the LORD [will be] the hope of his people, and the strength of the children of Israel.

Romans 8:
24 For we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for?
25 But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it.

1 Corinthians. 9:
9 For it is written in the law of Moses, thou shalt not muzzle the mouth of the ox that treadeth out the corn. Doth God take care for oxen?
10 Or saith he it altogether for our sakes? For our sakes, no doubt, this is written: that he that ploweth should plow in hope; and that he that thresheth in hope should be partaker of his hope.

2 Corinthians 5:
4 Christ is become of no effect unto you, whosoever of you are justified by the law; ye are fallen from grace.
5 For we through the Spirit wait for the hope of righteousness by faith

Colossians 1:
3 We give thanks to God and the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you,
4 Since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus, and of the love which ye have to all the saints,
5 For the hope which is laid up for you in heaven, whereof ye heard before in the word of the truth of the gospel;
23 If ye continue in the faith grounded and settled, and be not moved away from the hope of the gospel, which ye have heard,
and which was preached to every creature which is under heaven; whereof I Paul am made a minister;
24 Who now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up that which is behind of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh for his body’s sake, which is the church:
25 Whereof I am made a minister, according to the dispensation of God which is given to me for you, to fulfil the word of God;
26 Even the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his saints:
27 To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory:

1 Thessalonians 4:
13 But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope.

1 Thessalonians 5:
8 But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for an helmet, the hope of salvation.
9 For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ,

Hebrews 12:
11 Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby.
12 Wherefore lift up the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees;
13 And make straight paths for your feet, lest that which is lame be turned out of the way; but let it rather be healed.
14 Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord:
15 Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled;
16 Lest there be any fornicator, or profane person, as Esau, who for one morsel of meat sold his birthright.
17 For ye know how that afterward, when he would have inherited the blessing, he was rejected: for he found no place of repentance, though he sought it carefully with tears.
18 For ye are not come unto the mount that might be touched, and that burned with fire, nor unto blackness, and darkness, and tempest,
19 And the sound of a trumpet, and the voice of words; which voice they that heard intreated that the word should not be spoken to them any more:
20 (For they could not endure that which was commanded, And if so much as a beast touch the mountain, it shall be stoned, or thrust through with a dart:
21 And so terrible was the sight, that Moses said, I exceedingly fear and quake:)
22 But ye are come unto mount Sion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels,
23 To the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect,
24 And to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better things than that of Abel.

Questions for Reflection
1) Are you hopeful today? Why or why not?

2) Are you looking at your circumstances or looking at Jesus Christ Dearly Beloved?

3) Can you count the number of Abraham’s descendants?

4) What about Jesus gives you hope?

5) Which of these scripture verses matter most to you right now?
Why?

6) What do you understand to be ‘the hope of your calling’?

Psalm 31:
24 Be of good courage, and he shall strengthen your heart, all ye that hope in the LORD.

My Hope is in the Lord – Norman Clayton, 1857
My hope is in the Lord Who gave Him-self for me
And paid the price Of all my sin at Cal-va-ry.

CHORUS:
For me He died; For me He lives,
And everlasting life And light He free-ly gives.

No merit of my own His anger to suppress
My only hope is found In Jesus’ righteousness

And now for me He stands Before the Father’s throne
He shows His wounded hands And names me as His own

His grace has planned it all ‘Tis mine but to believe
And recognize His work of love And Christ receive

Hebrews 12:
1 Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,
2 Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.

Dearly Beloved,
Run with your eyes on Jesus alone!
Run in faith that Jesus loves you, has uniquely designed and created only one you, has a good
plan for your life, runs with you and will accomplish His purposes for you and through
you!
Run in His strength alone!
Run with your eyes on the prize!
Run with the desire to finish strong!
Run with the desire to finish with your lamp burning!
Run with the expectation of being in His physical presence when you cross your finish line!
Run to His glory alone!
Run and keep on running!
Coach Patti