A Living Bread Hub

Hope

Christian hope is not wishful thinking; it is confident expectation anchored in God's character and His promises (Hebrews 6:19). Because God's plans for His people are for peace and a future (Jeremiah 29:11), and because His mercies are new every morning (Lamentations 3:22-23), hope endures even when circumstances are dark. The God of hope Himself fills us with joy and peace as we trust Him (Romans 15:13).

Key verses about hope

What Jesus taught about hope

Jesus is the ground of all hope. He called Himself the resurrection and the life, wept at a friend's tomb, and then raised him. He told His disciples, 'Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.' (John 14:1-3). And the empty tomb on Easter morning turned every Christian's hope from wishful thinking into confident expectation: because He lives, we will live also.

Examples of hope in the Bible

• Abraham 'against hope believed in hope,' trusting God's promise when it seemed impossible (Romans 4:18).
• Job in total loss still said, 'though he slay me, yet will I trust in him' (Job 13:15).
• Simeon waited his whole life 'for the consolation of Israel,' and held the infant Christ (Luke 2).
• The thief on the cross found hope in his last hour: 'today shalt thou be with me in paradise' (Luke 23:43).
• The disciples on the Emmaus road had lost hope until the risen Jesus opened the Scriptures to them (Luke 24).

How to grow in hope, practically

1. Anchor your hope in God's unchanging character, not in a particular outcome.
2. Remember the resurrection. If the tomb is empty, no grave gets the last word.
3. Keep a record of answered prayer and read it back when hope runs low.
4. Preach hope to your own soul: 'why art thou cast down... hope thou in God' (Psalm 42:11).
5. Surround yourself with hopeful believers; hope is contagious.
6. Serve someone. Hope grows as you give it away.

Where to go from here

People also ask

What does the Bible say about hope?

Hope in Scripture is a confident anchor in God's faithfulness (Hebrews 6:19), renewed daily by His mercy (Lamentations 3:22-23), and it does not disappoint (Romans 5:5).

How do I find hope when I feel hopeless?

Anchor your hope in who God is rather than your circumstances, remember His past faithfulness, and let the God of hope refill you as you trust Him (Romans 15:13).

What is the best Bible verse about hope?

Jeremiah 29:11 and Romans 15:13 are among the most-loved: God's plans are for a future and a hope, and He fills us with hope by His Spirit.