Hope and Faith

Hope is a powerful thing and it changes lives both when it is there and when it is not. I know christians who think that Hope is just a secular word for Faith, that somehow Faith supercedes Hope and because of our Faith we don't need to bother with the mere trifling that is Hope. How wrong can we be.

1 Corinthians 13:13 says that three things will remain, Faith, Hope and Love. Paul lists Hope separately to Faith because it is vital. Hebrews 11:1 says that 'Faith is the substance of things Hoped for...' (KJ version). Without Hope there is no Faith.

We are allowed to Hope. We have to Hope.

One of my greatest friends and inspirations says that Faith is for the now but Hope is for the future. I believe that Faith is, simply put, an alloy between my Hope for the future, and what I know about God; His Faithfulness, His Power, His Love, His Glory.

I want to stress just how much we need to have Hope. Hope that God will work all things for the good of His loved ones, Hope that He will lead us by still waters, Hope that He knows the plans He has for us and Hope that He will give us the desires of our hearts. We are allowed to Hope. We Have to Hope.

Hope for our families, Hope on behalf of others, Hope when things start to crumble and Hope at the start of a new adventure. We really are allowed to Hope, we really have to Hope.