WHAT IS LIFE WITHOUT HOPE?

What is Life without Hope?

 

"Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, and whose Hope is the LORD.  For he shall be like a tree planted by the waters, Which spreads out its roots by the river, And will not fear when heat comes; But its leaf will be green, And will not be anxious in the year of drought, Nor will cease from yielding fruit.                                                                                                         Jeremiah 17:7

              We have all prayed for God’s help in various circumstances and felt there was no answer to our prayers.  I have heard people say things like, “God doesn’t care about me”, “I’ll never have faith in him again”, or, “The Bible is a lie; God doesn’t answer prayer”.  Some people get angry with God when he doesn’t do what they want him to do.  Some just give up and feel there is no hope.

            I have had many prayers, throughout my life that didn’t get answered to my satisfaction.  Why did my loved one die after I prayed so hard for them?  Because it wasn’t part of God’s plan!  I want to share some scriptures with you to help you better understand what life with God is.  There is so much more than having our own way when we pray.

            From the beginning God had a plan for each of our lives. In Psalm 139:13, God tells us how we came to be.  “You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body and knit me together in my mother's womb.”  You are important to God or he wouldn’t have made you.  God had a plan for your life from your beginning to your end.  In verse 16, “You saw me before I was born.  Every day of my life was recorded in your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed.”  My life and yours, from beginning to end, was planned out by God. He knew the length of your life and that also fit in with his plans for you.

            When people die younger than we think they should, God knows it’s the right timing.  We grieve because we love them and want them to continue with us.  However, if we believe in God and have hope in a life to come, we must believe in Roman’s 8:28 “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.” That scripture has proven to be true so many times in my life.

            Those who do not believe in God and salvation through his son, Jesus, really have no hope.  They go through life believing when they die that is it; there is nothing more. What a wasted, empty life to live for no reason.  Those who have accepted Jesus as their Savior are “looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ”, as in Titus 2:13.  Jesus is our ‘Blessed Hope’; giving us eternal life.  What wonderful hope to know that our lives here on earth are only the beginning.

            Some people believe there is a God and no matter how they live they will go to heaven when they die. These people believe that all religions lead to heaven.  Yet the Bible tells us in John 3:3 "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God."  Born again refers to those who have accepted Jesus as their Savior, repented for their sins and become a new person in Christ Jesus.  This is the one and only way to be assured of a place in heaven.

            This is our Hope!  Without hope in the Lord, our lives are empty and meaningless.  Without hope in the Lord, our goals are without satisfaction and even if we meet those goals they are without hope. Jesus is our only hope in a sin-sick world.   John 3:16 tells us "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”