The Hope That Does Not Disappoint

There are days when hope feels naive.

The situation hasn't changed. You prayed, and the answer hasn't come. The doctor said what you didn't want to hear. The money still hasn't shown up. The person you loved hasn't come back.

And then you open the Bible, read words of hope, and think, "But what about my situation? Does this actually work?"

The psalmist had his "buts" too. His life wasn't easy. But he chose to remember the benefits — not the ones still missing, but the ones that had already come.

Try doing that today. Instead of listing everything that still hasn't been answered, list what already has. Just one thing, if that's all you can find. One time God was faithful.

Hope grows when you feed it with the memory of past faithfulness. And when you remember what He has already done, it becomes easier to trust what He is still going to do.

He hasn't changed. The faithfulness He showed before is the very same faithfulness available now.