Thoughts on Hope

I have had an incredible experience this past week reading some great talks on "Hope". May I share some of these insights that I have learned.

Hope is a powerful word used in the scriptures. It often found in between, faith and charity. (1 Cor. 13:13). These words are interrelated, and also interdependent.

In the dictionary, hope is not identified as just a wish, but an expectation of things to come. It is this sense of expectation, as opposed to wishing, that makes all the difference when "hope" appears in scriptural context.

In Psalms 31:24 "Be of good courage, and he shall strengthen your heart, all ye that hope in the Lord." This gives us courage to attempt any undertaking with the belief and expectation that it can be done with help from the Lord.

"Hope has the power to fill our lives with happiness." "Hope is a gift of the spirit". "Hope in Heavenly Father's merciful plan of happiness leads to peace, mercy, rejoicing, and gladness. The hope of salvation is like a protective helmet; it is the foundation of our faith and an anchor to our souls".

"The adversary uses despair to bind hearts and minds in suffocating darkness. Despair drains from us all that is vibrant and joyful and leaves us behind the empty remnants of what life was meant to be. Despair kills ambition, advances sickness, pollutes the soul, and deadens the heart. Despair can seem like a staircase that leads only and forever downward."

"Hope on the other hand, is like the beam of sunlight rising up and above the horizon of our present circumstances. It pierces the darkness with a brilliant dawn. It encourages and inspires us to place our trust in the loving care of an eternal Heavenly Father, who has prepared a way for those who seek for eternal truth in a world of relativism,confusion, and of fear".

"Hope is not knowledge, but rather the abiding trust that the Lord will fulfill His promise to us. It is believing and expecting that our prayers will be answered. It is manifest in confidence, optimism, enthusiasm, and patient perseverance".

"With hope comes joy and happiness. With hope, we can have patience to bear our afflictions. The brighter our hope, the greater our faith. The stronger our hope, the purer our charity".

"Hope sustains us through despair. Hope teaches that there is reason to rejoice even when all seems dark around us". "This is the quality of hope we must cherish and develop. Such a mature hope comes in and through our Savior Jesus Christ, for every man that hat this hope in him purifieth himself, even as the Savior is pure."

"Never surrender. Never allow despair to overcome your spirit. Embrace and rely upon the Hope of Israel, for the love of the Son of God pierces all darkness, softens all sorrow, and gladdens every heart. (Dieter F. Uchtdorf)

There is such a lifting power of joy and happiness through hope. I am grateful for experiencing such hope this past week.