Strength And Courage In Hope

You know that in order to have hope in your life you must be strong—have strength—as well as courage. That can be tough in our world today, especially in some areas of the world. Yet daily we hear about the courage people exhibit when faced with difficulties. HOPE looks ahead, beyond what can be. It looks past what the current situation is. It looks to what will be.

I’m reminded of a situation in our neighborhood some years back. We didn’t think our neighborhood was prone to flooding or anything related to that but with some heavy storms, we were watching the waters quickly flow through out backyard. A river ran through our yard! We were fortunate because the house was higher than the lowest part of the yard. When the sewer drain (behind our property) became clogged at another time, the water flooded the lowest basement room and came up through the toilet. That was a mess.

Through these experiences I remembered the scripture that gave me hope, and it still sustains me to this day through whatever weather we encounter. The Lord told the people in Isaiah 43:1-2 (ESV) “Fear not for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you.”

It takes courage and strength to go through tough situations, but the Lord has given us His Word He’ll be with us, go through it with you, and bring us out of it.

Let me encourage you today if you’re in the midst of something, take courage, draw from the strength of the Lord, and elevate your hope to a higher level of faith as you pass through things and come out stronger. He’s with you wherever you go. Your hope is in the Lord, and He’ll take care of you.