We were given this hope when we were saved. (If we already have something, we don’t need to hope for it. But if we look forward to something we don’t yet have, we must wait patiently and confidently.
—Romans 8:24-25 NLT
We are saved by trusting God. Trusting means looking forward to getting something we don’t yet have. A person who already has something doesn’t need to hope and trust that he’ll get it. But if we must keep trusting God for something that hasn’t happened yet, the delay teaches us to wait patiently and confidently.
Biblical hope isn’t just a wish. It’s a confident expectation. We are confident that what God has promised for us on earth and for eternity, he will fulfill. We are so confident that we can even thank him in advance for what he has promised to do. We might pray, “God, thank you for The Daniel Plan. Thank you that, with your strength, it’s going to be different this time. Thank you that I have no condemnation, that I have your Spirit, that I can trust in you. No matter how much time this takes, I am waiting with confident hope in you.”
Food for Thought: God’s promises are certain; we can thank him in advance for everything he has promised
