There is hope in your story, whether you feel it or not. You may be in the midst of a hard season, you may be thriving but feel anxiety lurking at the edges or your life, or you find yourself longing for a jolt of encouragement as you wade through each day.
Early Christians also longed for a hope that they couldn’t find in the everyday. True, our circumstances are vastly different from our Biblical brothers and sisters of faith, but the God they looked to for hope and encouragement is the same God we serve.
May these 10 passages bring hope to your day, no matter what you’re walking through.
- “We wait in hope for the Lord; he is our help and our shield. In him our hearts rejoice, for we trust in his holy name. May your unfailing love be with us, Lord, even as we put our hope in you.” –Psalm 22:20-23 (NIV)
- “The Lord delights in those who fear him, who put their hope in his unfailing love.” –Psalms 147:11 (NIV)
- “There is surely a future hope for you, and your hope will not be cut off.” -Proverbs 23:18 (NIV)
- “Yet I still dare to hope when I remember this: The faithful love of the Lord never ends! His mercies never cease. Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each morning.” –Lamentations 3:21-23 (NLT)
- “Now this is what the Lord says—the one who created you, Jacob, and the one who formed you, Israel—‘Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by your name; you are mine.’” -Isaiah 43:1-2 (CSB)
- “And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.” -Romans 5:5 (ESV)
- “Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful.” -Hebrews 10:23 (ESV)
- “That is why we never give up. Though our bodies are dying, our spirits are being renewed every day. For our present troubles are small and won’t last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever! So we don’t look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever.” -2 Corinthians 4:16-18 (NLT)
- “Therefore, with your minds ready for action, be sober-minded and set your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.” -1 Peter 1:13 (CSB)
- “‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” -Revelation 21:4 (NIV)
Lord, I thank You that You are a God of hope. I am believing today that, just as You provided for Your people for thousands of years, You will provide for me. I place my hope in You now, and I seek the peace that this brings. Let my burdens feel light today, as I trust that the future You have planned for me is nothing but good. I love you Lord, and I want to love you more. Amen.
Ellen Wildman
Excerpted with permission from the NLT DaySpring Hope & Encouragement Bible (Tyndale House Publishers), a Bible with features specially crafted to help you find hope & encouragement throughout Scripture and to help you embrace who God says you are.