The Power of HopeSample

The Process of Hope

It’s interesting that the times when hope seems the most impossible are the very times that God often uses to build the most hope in us. 

Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we boast in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us. Romans 5:1-5 NIV 

Did you catch that? God uses our suffering to build perseverance and our perseverance to build character. And as our character is built up, so too is our hope. 

A question people often ask is, “Why does God allow suffering?” And this passage shows us part of the answer: because God has always been in the business of bringing good out of the bad. To be clear, this doesn’t mean that God likes, desires, or wills suffering, it just means that God will always bring good out of suffering. That’s who He is.

While that doesn’t take away the pain of our suffering, it at least lets us know that our suffering is never wasted. There is always purpose in the pain we experience. 

A hope that’s built through hardship will never put us to shame or be in vain because the Spirit of God is living in us. Not only does the Holy Spirit work in us to bring hope out of our hardships, but the Holy Spirit also brings us comfort and strength when we’re ready to give up. 

In moments like those, it helps to remember that the Jesus we have given our lives to Himself experienced immense suffering and hardship as He was led to be crucified on a Roman cross. Crucifixion was a method of execution designed to maximize the pain and humiliation of the victim. Crucifixion was designed to send a message. What’s fascinating is that the message the cross sends to us today is vastly different than the message it was originally designed to send. 

Because God did what He always does. He took what was intended for evil, and used it for good. He took a tool of destruction and turned it into the symbol of salvation. 

 As the Church, the people of God, who are filled by the Spirit of God and living out the will of God, we suffer with hope. A hope that will never put us to shame or be in vain. Because when we suffer, we are comforted, strengthened, and transformed by the Spirit living in us.