Hope: Exploring God’s PlanSample

Yesterday we explored how looking back at God’s past faithfulness connects the past with the present and points optimistically to the future.

So one way to foster hope is by looking back.
Today, let’s talk about looking forward.

Expectancy is the state of thinking or hoping that something—especially something pleasant—will happen. Maybe you feel expectant that a great job is coming your way or that your longing to be a parent will be fulfilled. Maybe you're expectant that a health issue will resolve or a relationship will be restored.

Being able to visualize those future happy moments gives you hope. In your mind’s eye, can you see the child you might have one day? Can you hear your doctor calling with good news?

Hope is easier to hold onto when we can visualize the future we’re hoping for.

This is why the Book of Revelation is so powerful. Its vivid imagery helps us imagine the incredible future God has promised us. The book is a prophecy about the fulfillment of God’s plan—the moment when creation and our relationship with the Creator are restored.

I get giddy when I read chapter 21 of Revelation. It describes a new, improved heaven and earth. There is no source of evil there. No more death, pain, or suffering. In this place, God will dwell with us. Like it was in the Garden of Eden, nothing will separate us from Him. We are guaranteed a home, a place of belonging where the gates are always open and there is room enough for all nations. Doesn’t that sound amazing?

The visions that the apostle John records in Revelation can help us visualize our future in moments when we need a dose of hope. So, I wonder, do you need to visualize that future today? Do you need that extra bit of hope? If so, spend some time reading Revelation chapter 21 and ask if there’s anything God wants to highlight.

In the midst of global chaos and crisis, seeing a better future can be life-changing. It allows us, as Jesus said in John 16:33, to “take heart.” In this world, we will have trouble. But He has overcome this world and guaranteed our perfect future.