2026-05-29
Good morning, Dear Ones,
I’m commanded by the Holy Spiri to continue this subseries of the Spirit Speaks messages on restoration of our relationship with God—this time on hope. Hope is to cherish a desire with anticipation—to want something to happen or to be true, to want something beneficial to occur. Hope is powerful because it acts as a catalyst for resilience, motivation, and positive change, rather than mere passive wishful thinking. It empowers individuals to overcome adversity by fostering goal-oriented actions, mental flexibility, and the belief that a better future is possible, strengthening both emotional and physical well-being. Thus, the major characteristics of hope are optimism (confident expectation of positive outcomes), action (goal- oriented goal setting), strength to overcome adversity, and resilience. “Hope is being able to see there is light despite all of the darkness” is the way that Rev. Desmond Tutu expressed hope. Mahatma Ghandi put hope this way: “In a gentle way, you can shake world.” Fredrich Nietzsche expressed it by saying, “That which does not kill us makes us stronger.” Helen Keller described hope as follows, “The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched—they must be felt with the heart. Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement. Nothing can be done without hope and confidence.”
Our Lord Jesus wants us to have hope, the hope of the resurrection. 1 PET 1: 3-5, “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In His great mercy He has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil, or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time.” When we take the time to read the Scriptures, we come across the words the Spirit gave to the prophet, Jeremiah, speaking to the rebellious Jews of his time in an effort to bring them to faith in God. JER 29: 10-13, “The is what the Lord says: ‘When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will come to you and fulfill My good promise to bring you back to this place (Israel). For I know the plans I have for you, plans to prosper you not to bring disaster, plans to give you the future for which you hope. Then you will call on Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. You will seek Me and find Me when you seek me with all your heart.’”
There is nothing that engenders hope in me like IS 49: 15-16, “Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has borne? Though she may forget, I will not forget you! See, I have engraved you on the palms of My hands: your walls are ever before me.” To know that God’s love and devotion for His people is nothing short of amazing. IS 40: 29-31 is familiar to many of us. “He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall: but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary; they will walk and not be faint.”
We often feel overwhelmed, depressed, and utterly challenged. But David writes, in PS 42: 11, “Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why [are you] so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will praise Him, my Savior and my God.” Put this together with 1 COR 10: 13, “No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, He will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.” Obeying the teaching of our God leads us to prayer and a request for His direction. That is why the Holy Spirit wants us to frequently visit the “shelter under God’s wings”—that comforting place where we speak to God in prayer and listen for His replies.
PRAYER: O Lord, while we live in a fallen world, yet You have given us so many demonstrations and pledges of Your faithfulness. If we, as believers, look back over our own lives we will find them. One of my own earliest memories was walking with my great-aunt (who I adored) several blocks to a mailbox to mail some letters. Along the way, she stopped and pointed out a bee visiting flowers and explained how important it was that it was in distributing pollen. I must have been about 4 at the time. Then, she told me to smell the sweetness of the flowers. It is small, seemingly insignificant things like these, that we so often miss their real significance and Him, from which they come that we ignore. You give us hope through our Lord Jesus, and that is no insignificant thing. RO 5: 5, “And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love have been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, Who has been given to us.” We thank and praise You, Dearest Father, for never ignoring those who love You. In the holy/mighty name of Jesus Christ, we pray. Amen.
NEXT WEEK: I’m directed by the Holy Spirit to write about spiritual reconciliation with God next week. In the meanwhile, we can focus on RO 5: 8-9, “While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since we have now been justified by His blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through Him!” We don’t have live out this life feeling alone and unloved. What greater love can our God have than to want as many as will come to faith in Him as possible to dwell with Him blissfully for eternity? That is what abiding faith in Jesus Christ will provide. Praise and thanksgiving be to Him!
Grace be with You Always,
Lynn, JS 24: 15
© Lynn Johnson 2026. All Rights Reserved.
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