The Hope That Does Not Disappoint

In everyday speech, “hope” has become a fragile word. We say “I hope so” about something we would like to happen but have no guarantee of: we wish, but we are not sure. The hope the apostle Paul speaks of in his letter to the Romans is of a different kind altogether: a settled certainty, founded on a living person and on a promise that does not change.

Strikingly, the verse is set in the midst of suffering, not ease:

Not only this, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces perseverance; and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope: and hope doesn’t disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.

Romans 5:3-5

Hope here is not the opposite of trouble; it is a fruit that God brings to maturity in the believer’s life through trouble. So how does that happen?

Our hope is not optimism, but certainty

The difference between optimism and Christian hope is the difference between wishing and trusting. Optimism is a feeling that rises and falls with our circumstances and our mood, and when things get hard, it fades away. Biblical hope, however, stands on solid ground: on the person of Christ himself.

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to his great mercy caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.

1 Peter 1:3

Notice the description: “a living hope”. It is not a nice idea, but a life that springs from a real resurrection. Because Christ has risen from the dead, our hope does not wither or grow old. Christian hope does not depend on what we can see, but on the One we know.

Why does this hope not disappoint?

Paul gives us the answer in the second half of the verse, which contains three truths:

• God’s love for us, not our love for God. Its source is God, not us, so it does not depend on how well we perform, and it does not shrink when our faith is weak.
• Has been poured out. The verb in the original Greek (ἐκκέχυται) describes an abundant pouring that has already taken place and whose effect still remains. God has not given us his love drop by drop; he has poured it into us generously.
• Through the Holy Spirit who was given to us. God himself lives in the believer and assures them of his love, so the one who bears witness to that love is God, not our changeable feelings.

So your hope does not rest on how you feel today, on your circumstances, or on the strength of your faith, but on what God has done in Christ, and he is faithful to complete it.

Hope far from home and in pain

Perhaps you are living far from your homeland and your family, or carrying a loss that no one else knows about, or you have grown weary of a long wait. You may pray and find the doors seem shut, until hope begins to feel far out of reach.

Listen to what the writer of Lamentations wrote as he wept over the destruction of Jerusalem:

It is because of the LORD’s loving kindnesses that we are not consumed, because his mercies don’t fail. They are new every morning. Great is your faithfulness.

Lamentations 3:22-23

These words were written amid the rubble. Christian hope does not need everything to be going well in order to stand firm. When things and people let us down, God remains faithful. The hardship you are going through today is not the end of the story: as Paul says, God is able to use it to produce in you perseverance, proven character and a steadfast hope.

What does hope do in our lives?

Biblical hope is not merely an inner calm; it is a power that reshapes the believer’s life. When we trust in the hope we have in Christ:

• We are more patient, because we know that pain is temporary and that God has not abandoned us.
• We love more, because a heart filled with God’s love overflows to others.
• We serve without growing weary, because our labour in the Lord is not in vain.
• We speak about Christ with confidence, because the hope within us is not an illusion to be ashamed of.

Putting it into practice

1. Take a few moments each morning to reflect on this truth: “God’s love has been poured into my heart through the Holy Spirit.” Don’t just repeat it; believe it.
2. Write down one occasion when you saw God’s faithfulness in the past, and put it somewhere you will see it every day.
3. Think of someone who is going through a difficult time, and get in touch to encourage them and pray for them. Hope grows when we share it.
4. Choose one thing in which you feel you have lost hope, and bring it before God in prayer every day this week.

If you would like someone to pray with you, we would be glad to pray for you, or to meet you at our weekly meeting every Wednesday evening.

A prayer

Heavenly Father, you are the God of hope. When our hearts are broken and our spirits are weak, remind us that your love has been poured into us through the Holy Spirit. Strengthen our trust in you, and teach us to hold on to you in times of trouble and to bear witness to you when relief comes. Thank you that our hope is living, because Christ is alive. We pray in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

Related verses

• Hebrews 6:19: “This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, a hope both sure and steadfast…”
• Psalm 42:11: “Why are you in despair, my soul? Why are you disturbed within me? Hope in God!…”
• Romans 15:13: “Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope, in the power of the Holy Spirit.”
• Lamentations 3:24: “‘The LORD is my portion,’ says my soul. ‘Therefore I will hope in him.’”