Hope in Jesus

Coming to know who Jesus is, the Son of God who sacrificed everything for each of us, marks a beautiful transformation in life.  It’s the beginning of real HOPE. We all feel a deep longing in our hearts to know and be known.  I can remember as a child trying to wrap my head around the idea that the God of the universe sent His only son for our sake, and that His son, who is one with God, loved us enough to die for our sins.  I didn’t realize I was a sinner.  I thought I wasn’t so bad.  And then life’s twists and turns allowed me to be broken and realize my great need for someone to love me exactly as I am.  I began to go further down and deeper in.  I began to read my bible to learn more about Jesus.  Aloneness and heartache can help us know Him better. Sometimes when we find nowhere else to turn we cry out to Jesus.    And what I learned in the darkest hours alone was an increased understanding of Jesus’ great love for me, of His unchangeable character and trustworthiness. The thread of trust was woven into a strong and coherent bond.  If we can just know Him better, we will trust Him more fully; and when we trust Him, we can stop focusing on our troubles.  And that is where we find HOPE. 
 

Even if we sort of fall into trusting Jesus because we have no other choice, He is so kind to meet us there and show us His character.  Pray to Him; read His book.  Knowing that someone all-powerful is trustworthy and will never leave me gives me great hope.  All of the Old Testament pointed forward toward the coming of Jesus, our Savior. “When you go through deep waters, I will be with you. When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown. When you walk through the fire of oppression, you will not be burned up; the flames will not consume you. For I am the Lord, your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior.” Isaiah 43:2-3

God’s word all points to His great love for us, the gift of His son Jesus, and His desire for us to know Him through His son Jesus.  If you feel a deep longing in your heart to be loved, exactly as you are, you can ask Jesus to fill that desire and He will answer.  And you can get to know Him better by reading the bible and learning more about what He said while He was here on earth. And the more you get to know Him, the more confidence you have to face everything with HOPE for the future.  Because if you read the end of the story, you see that Jesus is victorious and if we accept Him as Savior we will be with Him.  That’s hope.