Hope is a person

Hope is not a thing, not a location, not a situation, not an experience. Hope is a person, and His name is Jesus. – (Paul David Tripp)

Last week our church started a new session of Grief Share which is an incredible opportunity to share the hope that I have in Christ. I see this progam as a Ministry of Hope in which I have the privilege of having front row seats to what God is doing in the lives of others. I see the broken hearts mended, joy returned and hope restored.

But when you think about it, all believers are blessed with the opportunity to share in the Ministry of Hope. We get to share what Jesus has done – our freedom that was purchased with His blood and His never ending presence in our lives through the Holy Spirit.

We’re all searching for a hope that won’t disappoint us, that won’t leave us hopeless in the end. We want something to hope in that will get us through the difficult circumstances that life brings. We are hoping to find freedom from envy and anxiety. We are hoping for joy each new day and rest when night comes. But often the things we hope in disappoint us because our hope is in the wrong place, the wrong thing or the wrong person.

Jesus is hope. His is what our hearts were created to search for and find meaning in. He alone is what gives real-life, life to the fullest, life abundant. He is the One who will never leave you nor forsake you. He is the One who has plans to give you a hope and a future. He is the One who calls you by name and loves you with an everlasting, unconditional love.

If nothing you envisioned ever works out and all the bad things that you’ve dreaded come your way, you still have hope, because He is with you in power and grace.