Faith, Hope, and Encouragement: Hope Found in God's Faithfulness

If I were to give a name to my testimony and the story of my journey with Christ, it would be “He is Faithful.” Because all the good that has happened, all the growth that has taken place, all joys of my life are not the result of my own doing or of my own goodness, but they are the result of God keeping His promises to show His goodness, to grow and work in, to bring joy to those who say, “Yes” to a relationship with Him and His leading.

I would also pick this name because so often, I have to be reminded of the truth that God is indeed faithful. And I have to once again choose to place my faith in Him; to cling to His promises and put my hope in His word and trust in His character.

It’s not a back-and-forth thing, where one moment I believe in God and the next I don’t. But as different situations and circumstances arise, as life unfolds as planned or unplanned, as I go through ups and downs and in-betweens, I must choose where my faith will be placed. I must choose in whose word I will put my hope and on whose character I will rely.

So as once again I find myself in such a place of choosing, I choose to stand on the promises of God found in His Word. This choice would be in vain, if it were not for God’s faithfulness. If His keeping of His promises was not assured, this faith would be misplaced.  

But faithfulness is a part of God’s character. He. Is. Faithful. Even when I am faithless and unfaithful. (2 Timothy 2:13)
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We read of His faithfulness in Hebrews 6: 

“When God made His promise to Abraham, since there was no one greater for Him to swear by, He swore by Himself, saying, ‘I will surely bless you and give you many descendants.’ And so after waiting patiently, Abraham received what was promised.
“People swear by someone greater than themselves, and the oath confirms what is said and puts an end to all argument. Because God wanted to make the unchanging nature of His purpose very clear to the heirs of what was promised, He confirmed it with an oath. God did this so that, by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled to take hold of the hope set before us may be greatly encouraged. We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain, where our forerunner, Jesus, has entered on our behalf. He has become a high priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek.” (vv. 13-20)

God made a promise to Abraham. He promised that Abraham’s descendants would be like the sand on the seashore and the stars in sky, numerous. However, Abraham had no children. He was very old, and so was his wife, Sarah. And even if they would have been younger, Sarah was barren.

Yet, in the face of all these facts that screamed “Impossible!” at the promise to Abraham, in spite of the doubts Abraham and Sarah had, in spite of their deviation from God’s plan and attempting to bring things about in their own way, God kept His word. Isaac, the promised son was born. And Isaac had a son named Jacob, and then Jacob had twelve sons, and from these the nation of Israel came to be. And because of God’s covenant with Abraham, and His keeping of that covenant, the people of Israel were God’s people.

And because of the new covenant made through Jesus, all who have relationship with Him, no matter age or nationality or social status, are God’s people. Numerous like the sand on seashore and the stars in the sky. Yes, God kept His promise to Abraham. 

The writer of Hebrews shares this history to show God’s faithfulness in all His promises, which we find in His word.

Because God is faithful, we have hope. And because we have hope, we are encouraged during daily life. 

This hope is an anchor for our souls. For when our hope is placed in God’s faithful, unchanging character, our hope is firm and secure, like His good, mighty hands that hold us. This hope is based on faith in the Faithful One, and faith is “being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.” (Hebrews 11:1, emphasis added)

Hope that is found in God’s faithfulness “enters the inner sanctuary, behind the curtain, where our forerunner, Jesus, has entered on our behalf.” This hope goes beyond this earth. It brings us to the very presence of God. And we have hope that someday, we will see our Lord face to face, and live with Him forever. For Jesus has gone ahead, to prepare a place, so we may be with Him and the Father. So we are not to be troubled, but to believe. (John 14:1-2)

So no matter what you may be going through, lean on God. Search out His character and His promises in His Word. Place your faith in His character, find your hope in His truth, and be encouraged.

The Post Faith, Hope and Encouragement first appeared on The Overflowing
All Scriptures taken from the NIV, copyright 2011