The Gift of Hope

By Okechi Mba

Lagos, Nigeria

Scriptures:

• Romans 15:4, 12-13
• Hebrews 6:13-20

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Romans 15:13

I love Christmas! The season of festivities, gifts and so much fun! Growing up, I always saw Christmas as a time to be with our extended family and have fun. But in recent years, I started getting anxious and sad, thinking: The year has ended, and I’m not where I want to be.  

But Christmas is about the coming of Jesus, our hope of glory! With His coming, we can endure suffering in the hope that God will keep His promise to allow us to share in Jesus’ glory (John 3:16-17). It’s a time to renew our hope as we look forward to a new beginning. God gives us incredible gifts at Christmas and hope is one of them. He knows how much we need it to survive and thrive.

The Biblical definition of hope is a confident expectation of something better tomorrow. When your hope is in God, He will always deliver. It doesn’t matter what has happened,  better things are coming. That’s hope! You are confident that He has good plans for you (Jeremiah 29:11-13).

God calls us to wait patiently in hope (Romans 8:24-25).  Hope saves us from apathy, hopelessness and distress. We need to help each other stay hopeful and encouraged, but we also need to let someone know when we need help (Hebrews 10:23-25).

We can survive a lot of things, but we can’t outlive hope. We are in trouble when we focus more on the overwhelming nature of the challenges in our lives, than on God’s constant presence. Hope does not just motivate positive actions, it actually has healing power. The very sick can get better when they keep hope alive.

I had to assess the wellbeing of my soul as a result of two incidences. First, I got a message one morning that a 17-year-old girl who is very close to me, attempted suicide. As disciples, we are not immune to this feeling of hopelessness. It broke my heart and I thought: She has lost hope. It got me thinking – What could make me get to that point? Where is my hope?

I was reminded of Peter's story in Matthew 14:22-32. Peter walked on water because his hope was in going to meet Jesus. Trust held him up, but fear sank him. Everything depended on where his focus was – on Jesus or the storm around him.

My walk-on-water moment came not long after, during the covid shutdown. I took my eyes off my Saviour and saw only how my business was at a standstill. I was running out of money. How would I survive and keep helping others? I fell sick from worry and stress. There were days I couldn’t get out of bed. Then I began to understand what could make someone decide to end it all. I cried out to God, “Father, You have to help me!” Just like Peter cried out and was rescued, so God rescued me. I got the reassurance and peace I needed. I called a dear friend and told her how I had been feeling, and she reminded me where my focus should be and also the fact that it was happening the world over. (I forgot that it wasn’t only me!) I learnt to give from the little I had, trusting that He would always provide.

So the big question is – What is your mind focused on? Our ability to live in hope and remain focused on Christ is dependent on what we feed our minds. Colossians 3:2 says, “Set your minds on things above not on earthly things.”

Paul also tells us how to feed our minds right in Philippians 4:8, because what repeatedly enters and occupies our mind will eventually shape our mind and ultimately express itself in what we do and who we become. So if God and the things of God repeatedly enter our mind, He will occupy and shape our mind and His heart will ultimately be expressed in what we do and who we become. This is extremely important when it comes to hope. If we are walking closely with God and trust that He is with us always, we will find that problems lose their ability to damage our spirit. We will not be easily discouraged.

We will be joyful in hope because our faithful prayers will keep us patient in affliction (Romans 12:12). When we are tempted to despair and lose hope, we can remember that our hope is in the Living God. Keep our eyes on Him (1 Timothy 4:10). We can learn to persevere regardless of our natural inclinations, because we know that perseverance builds character and hope (Romans 5:1-5). For the joy set before us, we persevere and stay hopeful (Hebrews 12:1-3). We are on a lifelong journey and hope is the fuel that will sustain us.

This is my 34th year as a disciple of Jesus and I can say unequivocally, “For You have been my hope, Sovereign Lord, my confidence since my youth” (Psalms 71:5). I am most grateful to God for allowing His Son to come and sacrifice so much to give us the hope of eternity with Him.

To help me in times of hopelessness, I have what I call my Four Hope Statements. These are my go-to scriptures when my hope is weak. I pray they encourage you as well!

1. “I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 3:14)

2. “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” (Philippians 4:13)

3. “I say to myself, ‘The Lord is my portion; therefore I will wait for him.’ The Lord is good to those whose hope is in him, to the one who seeks him.” (Lamentations 3:24-25)

4. “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who  have been called according to his purpose.“ (Romans 8:28)

Questions for Reflection:

1. What are some things about the Christmas season that make you feel hopeful? (If you have a hard time thinking of something, pray and ask God to reveal hopeful thoughts to you.)

2. Reflecting on Peter as he walked briefly on water, what effect have you seen in your life when you have had hope and what have you seen when you have not had hope?

3. What inspires hope in you?

4. Who can you encourage to stay hopeful in spite of their situation?

Today I Will:

Find your own Hope Statements (complete with scriptures)! Share them with someone and keep hope alive!

About the Author:

Okechi Mba has been a disciple for 34 years. She was a missionary to the churches in Guinea Conakry and The Gambia in West Africa and was in the full-time ministry in Lagos, Nigeria. She has an undergraduate degree in French Language from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka. She is single and currently resides in Lagos where she sells African clothes and accessories. She loves to study the Bible with and help women get to know God better. Her song of hope is the beloved hymn, My Hope is Built on Nothing Less.