When I’m feeling “stuck” in my devotional time or need to hear familiar words of encouragement, I turn to Romans 8. From beginning to end, it contains words of promise, love, and hope.
“Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death.” (Romans 8:1-2).
“For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:38-39).
Nestled between, Paul offers further words of promise. Through Christ, we are made righteous before God. We are children of God. We are joint heirs with Christ in God’s kingdom that is to come. There is a glory that will be revealed to us and, in that glory, we will be freed of all the suffering we face on earth.
Then we come to these words of hope: “For in hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope, for who hopes for what one has already seen? But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently.” (Romans 8:24-25).
Hope and waiting tend to travel together—though not always comfortably.
We often think of hope as something fleeting and insubstantial. We hope for things that are out of our control. We hope for things that, deep down, we know are unlikely to come true. I hope there’s no train this morning on my way to the church. I hope to win the lottery (which is highly unlikely since I don’t play). I hope for a happy and healthy year … and beyond.
But biblical hope is nothing like what I’ve described. It’s often quieter. More resilient. It holds on, even when fulfillment is delayed. But most importantly, biblical hope has a source: God.
Paul describes a hope that is not yet seen … which means it requires patience. And patience, as we know, is not something we naturally excel at. Some of us struggle to wait for a microwave timer to finish, let alone a season of life.
But hope rooted in God’s timing isn’t wishful thinking. It is a steady confidence that God’s promises are trustworthy, even if they unfold more slowly than we would prefer.
In the in-between, hope becomes less about predicting outcomes and more about trusting the One who holds them. And that kind of hope holds us.
Thought to ponder: What are you currently hoping for? Is your hope grounded in a promise of God or is it your own wishful thinking? How might God be inviting you to trust him with the timing?
Prayer: Lord, anchor my hope in you. Teach me to wait with patience and trust, believing that your timing is good, even when it stretches me. Remind me that hoping for what I can’t see isn’t wishful thinking when it’s grounded in your promises. Help me to hope with faith in you. Amen.
