I wrote last week about my word of the year—believe. If you missed that post and want to read why I chose that word, check out my post , My Word for the Year. The more I think about belief, the more I am beginning to see how belief and hope are tied to each other.

Abraham Held Tightly to His Hope

One of the greatest examples of hope in the Bible is the story of Abraham and Sarah. Romans 4 tells us that even when there was no reason to keep hoping, Abraham held onto his hope.

Even when there was no reason for hope, Abraham kept hoping—believing that he would become the father of many nations. For God had said to him, “That’s how many descendants you will have!” And Abraham’s faith did not weaken, even though, at about 100 years of age, he figured his body was as good as dead—and so was Sarah’s womb.

Romans 4:18,19 NLT

Abraham knew how old he was, and he knew how old Sarah was. He had every reason to give up hope that they would have a baby, but he stubbornly clung to hope.

How? How did he not lose hope? And how do we get that same kind of hope, a hope that doesn’t give up no matter what?

The Key to Unlocking Hope

The key to unlocking hope is belief. Abraham believed when there was no reason to; he kept hoping when it was long past time to give up hoping.

If you’re still alive, then it’s too soon to give up. If your heart is still beating in your chest, then there is still hope. There is still hope for your marriage. There’s still hope for your finances, for your unsaved loved ones, for your wayward child, for your health, for that impossible situation. Whatever it is, it’s not too late. There’s still time for God to work. The key is to believe that God can do whatever it is you’re asking him to do, and trusting that he will do it.

Don’t Give Up

Maybe you just need to be reminded today to stay in the fight. Don’t give up. Get back out there. Keep believing. Keep hoping. Wait with anticipation for God to work and to come through for you.

I can tell you this. If you stop believing, then it won’t come to pass. God cares too much about your faith. Faith is everything to him.

And it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that God exists and that he rewards those who sincerely seek him.

Hebrews 11:6 NLT

If You’ve Lost Your Hope

If you’ve lost your hope, here’s what you have to do. Go back to when it was that you stopped believing—when you stopped believing in God’s goodness, trusting God to come through for you. Go back to when God let you down. Start there. Have a painful conversation with God; write down your thoughts and pray them to your Father. You’re not going to hurt his feelings; he can handle it. Be honest. Tell him everything you are thinking and feeling.

Then, ask God to help you start believing again; that’s on him. The next part is on you. Now you have to choose to start believing again. It’s going to take some work at first. Just like strengthening any muscle that’s weak, it will take time. But if you keep doing it, if you keep exercising faith, you will find hope begin to bloom inside of you once again.

Here’s my prayer for you…

I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit.

Romans 15:13 NLT

For More Encouragement

If you enjoyed this post, consider sending it to someone else to encourage them. For more encouragement, check out The One Guarantee if You Quit.

A great book to read about increasing your faith through prayer is Mark Batterson’s The Circle Maker: Praying Circles Around Your Biggest Dreams and Greatest Fears. I highly recommend it!