“Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my salvation and my God.” Psalm 42:5

The Bible says that in this world you will have trouble. Too often these troubles cause our hearts to be saddened and in turmoil. At the time David wrote Psalm 42, his trials had beaten him down. During his suffering, however, he reminds and exhorts himself to hope in God.

As superfoods are commended for our bodies, hope is spiritual superfood commended for our hearts. A regular supply of this spiritual superfood is essential not only when we are sick, but also even when we are well.

Biblical hope can be defined as a confident expectation and desire for good in the future. There is a certainty that what is hoped for will come about. Following are four aspects concerning hope; specifically, hope in God.

The benefits of hope. It produces joy and peace (Romans 15:13), even to the point of being overjoyed, of being exultant (Romans 5:2); it keeps us from being overcome by grief (1 Thess. 4:13); it strengthens us for service (1 Timothy 4:10); it creates a desire for godliness (Titus 2:11-13,1 John 3); it opens doors for witness (1 Peter 3:5); and it produces love for other Christians (Col. 1:4,5).

The nutrients of hope. There is the promise of redemption of our bodies (Rom. 8:23,25); of the appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ (Titus 2:13); and of a resurrection of the just and the unjust (Romans 24:15) when God’s justice will put his truth on full display.

There is the promise of beholding the glory of God (Romans 5:2); and the promise of eternal life (Titus 1:2). Finally, there is the promise of the Holy Spirit to help us grow and understand the fullness of our hope (Gal. 5:5, Eph. 1:17-20, Rom. 15:13).

The source of hope. It is not in ourselves. Apart from Jesus Christ we are ‘without hope and without God in the world’ (Eph. 2:12). Thankfully God has not left us without hope. ‘According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead' (1 Peter 1:3).

Christ Jesus is our hope (1 Tim. 1:1), and through him we now have hope of drawing near to God (Heb. 7:19) and receiving his blessing.

The guarantee of hope. The guarantee of our hope comes from the very character of God. The hope of eternal life is that ‘which God, who never lies, promised before the beginning of time (Titus 1:2).’ And ‘He who promised is faithful’ (Hebrews 10:23).

We can be certain that what we hope for in God will be fulfilled. However, this certainty comes with a warning—the lack of peace and well-being can bring despair. At these times (though not just at these times), we can be tempted to seek hope wherever we can find it. 1 Timothy 6:17 warns us ‘not to set [our] hopes on the uncertainty of riches.' All hope other than hope in God is not guaranteed and therefore not certain.

Telling ourselves to ‘hope in God’ is often easier said than done. Considering the benefits, content, source, and guarantee of the hope of God, we need to be encouraged to daily be fed by it. We do so by hearing the scriptures, both publicly and privately (Rom. 15:4); confidently approaching God in prayer (Hebrews 4:16); and serving one another faithfully in love (Heb. 6:10-11).

My prayer is ‘that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give [us] the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him, having the eyes of [our] hearts enlightened, that [we] may know what is the hope to which he has called [us]’ (Eph 1:17,18).