Never Disappointed

God alone knows the end from the beginning, but He has chosen to share His plans with us so that we can examine His Word, see that His promises are true, and have hope in this life… “Whatever things were written beforehand, were written for our learning, that we, through patience and comfort of the Scriptures, might have hope” (Romans 15:4).

Hope, for those who know Christ, is not an elusive “maybe” of wishful thinking, but a certainty. Just as true faith is not a leap in the dark, but intelligent conclusions based on proven historical realities, hope is based on the foundation that if God’s past promises came true to the smallest detail, so will His future ones.

Hope saves from despair. Jesus didn’t water down the pains or realities of life for His followers, but offers us such help and comfort that He always gives us hope… “Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Spirit” (Romans 15:13). He’s promised that those waiting for Him will never be disappointed… “They shall never be ashamed who wait for Me” (Isaiah 49:23).

Think of those who were waiting when He first appeared… Mary and Joseph, Zacharias and Elizabeth, Simeon, Anna, the shepherds, and the watchful Magi. All of them were rewarded with welcoming Him into the world. After experiencing His transforming power and daily blessings in our lives, His ever-present help, provisions, and answered prayers… what a global welcome should await Him now!

May He find us, at His return, rejoicing in Hope.

(Devotional by Lisa Cataford)