Ever-Living Hope

“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” (1 Peter 1:3).

In Christ, God has given us an ever-living hope. The word “hope,” as used here, does not mean desire or expectation. It is not that of the student who hopes he will pass a test. It means confidence. It is the hope that banishes all doubt and uncertainty. The believer never needs to be distressed by fears if Christ is his ever-living hope. The writer of Hebrews speaks of this “hope” as an “anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast” (6:19). It does not rest upon the fleeting philosophies of men, but is imbedded in the solid rock of Jesus Christ, who is “the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever” (Hebrews 13:8).

Strengthened by such eternal confidence in Christ, no believer should experience the slightest worry since everything should be laid in confidence at the feet of our Lord. David could say, “The Lord is on my side; I will not fear: what can man do unto me?” (Psalm 118:6). Even amidst the sorrows of death, he could assuredly say, “Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for Thou art with me” (Psalm 23:4).

Should the death of loved ones leave us distraught, our hopes destroyed? Ah, no. In Christ, the ever-living hope, we have a light to guide us through the darkest valley, even death itself. “The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? the Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?” (Psalm 27:1).

How often these precious promises are read, yet never appropriated. We may trust God completely, because what He has promised, He will perform. If Christ is your hope, you may rely upon His Word with full assurance that He will not fail. We cannot always trust the word of others, but God’s Word will never fail.

—Condensed from Living Peacefully by J. Allen Blair.