Hope is Defined by Relationship with God

A relationship with God provides the foundation for understanding and living out hope. If you want to stand in hope, you begin by investing in know God and experience Him in your life. To define hope and understand how it will work, you have to start with a relationship with God.

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My husband doesn’t want to talk when he’s upset – and it doesn’t matter what he’s upset about (or who he’s upset at). He closes down.

He’s gotten better in the last couple of decades.

We’ve encountered many of these “he’s not going to talk moments,” but the most famous one happened one night after a part. He and I were “friends” and he and Kris were giving me a ride home. I could tell he was upset, and the best thing for him was to talk it through (because obviously, I knew him better than he knew him). When we pulled up to my house, I wouldn’t get out.

“I’m not getting out until you talk to me,” I finally declared after trying to coax the concerns out of him.

“Fine.” He huffed. “Keep the car.” He got out and left me sitting in the car in my driveway.

There may or may not have been a few expletives involved in his declaration.

Despite having known he didn’t want to talk, I tried to make him do what I wanted to do.

Sometimes, I feel like I’m doing that with hope. I know the nature of hope and the foundation from which it comes. Despite that knowledge, I want what I want, and if I have to manipulate hope to see it through, then I will.

Hope doesn’t work that way.

Hope is defined by a relationship with God and through that connection to God. In other words, it’s God that makes hope possible, and trust me when I say you can’t manipulate God.

When you are defining hope, you have to start with God.

Defining Hope through Relationship with God

• Hope comes from the promises of God. The words of Acts 26:6 remind us that Abraham had hope in the promises.
• Hope started with God and grows up through God. Jeremiah 29:11 is where God tells us what he has made for us.
• Hope grows up from faith that grows out of a relationship (from Galatians 5:5)
• Hope is founded in faith. Hebrews 11:1 tells us that faith is the substance (the foundation) of things hoped for.
• Hope comes from the Love of God. According to Romans 5:5, hope doesn’t make us ashamed because it comes from the love of God.

No matter how you slice it, life infusing hope comes from a relationship with God. If you want more hope for your journey, then make time to invest in your relationship with God.

Quote of the Day

“Hope – the settled understanding of God’s promises that grows up through a personal relationship with God.” – Kathryn Lang

More #GrowingHOPE

Did you miss last week’s Growing HOPE? Check out the daily columns and broadcasts:

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11-26-2020 Point to the Promise to Pursue Possibility Paths

11-27-2020 3 Ways Hope Dispels the Dark

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