It’s a hopeful time of year, isn’t it?
I don’t know any time that’s more likely to draw hope from even the most cynical person than spring. If a long, cold, and hard winter can bloom into warm, sunshine-y, colorful spring, then why can’t a long and hard situation turn into one full of joy and peace?
It becomes an even more powerful reminder around Easter time.
The past couple of weeks have been full of reminders of what God accomplished through Easter and the events leading up to it. Christianity rests upon what Jesus did for us on the cross. What He delivered through His resurrection. Assurance. Life. Joy.
Hope.
A couple of weeks ago, I talked about the true meaning of the word ‘hope’, and what I’m learning about keeping it close to my heart. 1 I’m especially trying to remain strong in it, even in times where the reminders aren’t so frequent. It’s all too easy for me to look past the beauty and the warmth and see the tough situations and darkness still on the horizon.
It’s far too easy to look from the promises of God, to the hardships right now instead.
But dwelling on anything other than God is a sure path to depression, worry, frustration, and hopelessness. Pushing away His promises, and the knowledge that He’s walking beside us through every trial is only going to make us feel more alone. More desperate.
But why – if we have every opportunity to live our lives with peace, grace, and joy – would we choose to remain rooted in hopelessness?
It’s such a simple choice mentally, but one that takes a lot of rededication and refocusing in our hearts. For me, it takes a lot of reminders of what God promises, and what I can count on Him to do as I walk with Him. It takes a decision – or many decisions! – every single day to stay on the path of hope and faith.
One thing that always helps is to simply immerse myself in God’s Word. There’s no faster way to be reminded of God’s promises and past faithfulness than to read what He’s saying to us. What He’s said to His children in the past. What He promises about the future. There’s never been a time, when I’ve gone honestly looking for comfort from His Word, that I haven’t found it. When we seek God and His love, we will find it. Every time.
And in addition to dwelling on Scriptures that explain hope and remind me to stay rooted in it, I’ve found it very helpful to hear what other Christians have to say about remaining encouraged through difficulty. So today, I thought I’d share ten of my favorite quotes about hope, with the prayer that they inspire you as much as they inspire me.
1. “Other men see only a hopeless end, but the Christian rejoices in an endless hope.”
(Gilbert M. Beeken)
2. “A Christian will part with anything rather than his hope; he knows that hope will keep the heart both from aching and breaking, from fainting and sinking; he knows that hope is a beam of God, a spark of glory, and that nothing shall extinguish it till the soul be filled with glory.”
(Thomas Brooks)
3. “As Christians, we have no reason to lack hope. Christ has shown the trustworthiness of God and of His Word.”
(Chuck Colson)
4. “Optimism is a wish without warrant; Christian hope is a certainty, guaranteed by God Himself. Optimism reflects ignorance as to whether good things will ever actually come. Christian hope expresses knowledge that every day of his life, and every moment beyond it, the believer can say with truth, on the basis of God’s own commitment, that the best is yet to come.
(J. I. Packer)
5. “If you have been reduced to God being your only hope, you are in a good place.”
(Jim Laffoon)
6. “The hope that God has provided for you is not merely a wish. Neither is it dependent on other people, possessions, or circumstances for its validity. Instead, biblical hope is an application of your faith that supplies a confident expectation in God’s fulfillment of His promises. Coupled with faith and love, hope is part of the abiding characteristics in a believer’s life.”
(John C. Broger)
7. “God is the only one who can make the valley of trouble a door of hope.”
(Catherine Marshall)
8. “Our world today so desperately hungers for hope, yet uncounted people have almost given up. There is despair and hopelessness on every hand. Let us be faithful in proclaiming the hope that is in Jesus.”
(Billy Graham)
9. “Hope is called the anchor of the soul because it gives stability to the Christian life. But hope is not simply a ‘wish’ (I wish that such-and-such would take place); rather, it is that which latches on to the certainty of the promises of the future that God has made.”
(RC Sproul)
10. “What gives me the most hope every day is God’s grace; knowing that his grace is going to give me the strength for whatever I face, knowing that nothing is a surprise to God.”
(Rick Warren)
No matter how hopeless we may feel…no matter how hard it is to see the light right now, there is hope. And if we stay close to Christ, trusting Him, and looking only to Him for our future, we can always have hope. Hope that things will get better. Hope that this is not the end. And, most of all, hope that someday all the hurts and fears of this world will pass away, and we will experience more peace, love, and joy than we can ever imagine now.
Did any of these quotes speak to you today? Go ahead and let me know your favorites in the comments, as well as if there is a certain topic you’d like to see more quotes about. While you’re there, I’d love to hear something YOU’RE learning about hope!
Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess,
for He who promised is faithful.
(Hebrews 10:23 NIV)
1. I talked about hope, and what I’m learning about it here.
2. I shared more of my quote collection in my previous posts: 10 Encouraging Quotes For Difficult Times, 10 Inspiring Quotes About Thanksgiving, 10 Stirring Quotes About Joy, 10 Quotes about Conquering Fear, 10 Heartwarming Quotes About Love, and 10 Uplifting Quotes About Perseverance.
3. To receive your own printable pages of the above quotes (and the ones used in my other ‘Quotes’ posts), sign up for my email list! Simply fill in the form here, and I’ll send you PDF copies of the quote collections – as well as an inspirational short story. I look forward to hearing from you!
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