I could have called this one "The Hope We Can Have. . .". But I purposely chose to leave out the words "we can" here because saying "we can have" raises the whether or not questions. Saying what we "can" have raises doubt in our minds sometimes and might leave the door open to the possibility that I "can't" have it. But when I say what I already have, then there is no room for doubt, questions, unbelief, or impossibility. What I'm getting at is this: as believers in Jesus Christ we live in expectation of His return; as Christians we live in hope everyday because of what Jesus did for us at the cross of Calvary. We have hope because of Him.

When we praise God at a time when things are not going well, we do so in hope. Two words that should never show up in the same sentence are "Christian" and "hopeless". As believers we hope in His grace; we hope in His return; we hope in His promise of everlasting life; we hope in His favor; and we hope in the power of His Holy Spirit.

Perhaps you're facing what is a painful situation, and it appears hopeless. But I encourage you to turn your eyes to the God who rides on the clouds, and walks on the wind. Let today's passage minister to your spirit. You're not praising hope, you're praising the God who gives us hope! May you begin this year in hope and allow that hope to take you through each day as God takes you to new levels in Him.