I Have Hope

Ruth 1:12

Turn again, my daughters, go your way; for I am too old to have an husband. If I should say, I have hope, if I should have an husband also to night, and should also bear sons;

There are two types of people in this verse: those who have hope and those who have no hope. Naomi was the type of person who had no hope. What is sad is that, because she lost hope, she never wanted to help anybody else. Her loss of hope caused her to tell her daughter-in-laws not to go with her. Her loss of hope kept her from seeing that God could still do something for her in the future. Her loss of hope led to her lack of vision. Yes, Naomi's life was not the best because of her bad decisions, but she lost hope, and her loss of hope took any positive mindset away, resulting in her believing her future was empty.

However, there is Ruth who had hope. Her hope led her to want to follow God. Her hope led her to believe that God could still bless her with a husband, even when there seemed to be no chances of that happening. Her hope led her to find God lead her to the man that she would eventually marry. Her hope led her to eventually be in the lineage of Christ. Ruth's hope allowed her to see God perform His great work in her life.

My friend, your life would be defined by whether or not you have hope. Hope is what allows us to believe that there is light in the darkest tunnel. Hope is what allows us to believe that better days are coming in the hardest of trials. Hope is what allows us to believe that our faith will become sight if we don't quit. Hope is what keeps us pushing forward when there seems to be no purpose to go forward. Hope is what allows us to believe that God will do something in our lives if we choose to serve Him. Hope is what gives us vision when we can't see beyond the next step. Whatever you do, never lose hope. Let me share a few thoughts on how to keep your hope alive.

First, spend much time in God's Word. God's Word will give hope to the hopeless soul. Every day that you read God's Word will be a day that you will be given hope to continue. God's Word is like a vitamin B12 shot; it will give energy and faith to keep a vibrant hope. Every day that you miss reading God's Word will be a day that your hope will begin to die. If you want to have hope, you must spend time in God's Word daily.

Second, spend much time in prayer. Prayer is where God gives you the power to continue when there seems to be little hope in life. Prayer is the source from which hope gets its hope. I have learned in life that when my hope begins to dwindle, I need to spend more time in prayer. It is that time in prayer where God revives my hope that He is still working in my life to see what I hope in to become a reality.

Third, spend much time with people of hope. People of hope are of a positive nature. You cannot spend time with negative people and have hope. Therefore, you must separate from those who feed hopelessness and spend time with people who challenge you to never give up hope. I would rather spend time with people of hope who challenge me never to lose hope because there is still a possibility that my faith will be rewarded, than to spend time with negative people who tell me it will never happen. The only way you will see God work the miraculous in your life is if you choose never to quit hoping that faith will become a reality.