It seems like the whole world is on fire this summer. Utah. Northern Ontario. Summerland, British Columbia. Spain. The cities of Ukraine. Croatia. Germany. England and Wales. France, Portugal. And earthquakes in Columbia.
Fire
It’s not the end of the world as we know it. But for some, it’s the end of their world.
Like everyone I’ve been watching in horror the wildfires that are burning across the world right now. Did you see videos coming out of BC this week of families escaping their community through flames? I read a story of retired couple who had invested four years of their life in building a beautiful mountainside home, only to lose it in ten minutes in the fire. There was confusion and terror in the eyes of a family running out of their luxurious home in Columbia as an earthquake tears it apart.
Their trauma sounded like the heartache of families living through a terrible war in Ukraine.
Pile that on top of reports about Canadian families in danger of losing their homes and businesses because of rising inflation and interest rates. I think it should force us all to ask hard questions about what actually matters to us as humans and where we fix our hope.
Photo by Mike Newbry on Unsplash
End Times?
I see lot’s of people doom posting about living in the biblical end times.
That’s an interesting and incorrect take on what God is communicating.
The end times in the Bible are not about doom.
They are ultimately about hope.
While end-times texts like Revelation and Daniel include warnings of hardship, wars, and cosmic trouble, their core purpose is to comfort suffering people, and show that God is in control.
Hope in the last days is not merely a future expectation but also a present reality that shapes the lives of believers.
I’ve posted some verses I rely on for hope that have been tested by fire.
Hope That Is Real
1 Peter 1:3,4 (English Standard Version) – “According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead…”
Christian hope is not based on wishful thinking—it is a living hope, made possible because Jesus rose from the dead. Because of God’s great mercy, our future is secure: we have an inheritance that cannot perish, spoil, or fade.
Hebrews 10:23 (New English Translation) – “Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful…”
Our hope is not something we hold onto only when life is easy; it is something we hold fast to even when circumstances shake us. We can remain confident because our hope rests not on our ability to keep believing, but on the faithfulness of the God who made the promise.
The End Of Our Strength
2 Corinthians 1:9,10 (NET) – “…we had the sentence of death within ourselves in order that we should not trust in ourselves, but in God who raises the dead; who delivered us from so great a peril of death, and will deliver us, He on whom we have set our hope.”
Sometimes God allows us to reach the end of our own strength so that we learn to stop trusting in ourselves and start trusting more deeply in Him. Our hope is secure because the God who has delivered us in the past is the same God who will sustain and deliver us in the future.
Romans 12:12 (NET) – “Rejoicing in hope, persevering in tribulation, devoted to prayer…”
Hope gives us a reason to hold on even when circumstances are difficult, because our confidence is ultimately in God rather than in our circumstances. And when trials come, we keep holding on.
Romans 5:3-5 (New International Version) – “…we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame…”
Every trial you face is an opportunity for God to build unshakable character and a resilient hope that will never disappoint, because His love is at work within you through the Holy Spirit.
Security
1 Timothy 6:17 (NET) – “Instruct those who are rich in this present world not to be conceited or to fix their hope on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly supplies us with all things to enjoy…”
Don’t let what you have become the place where you find your security, identity, or hope, because our stuff can change, or disappear in a moment, but God never does. Enjoy the blessings God has given you with gratitude, while keeping your heart anchored in the One who is your true provider and lasting source of hope.
Romans 15:13 (New English Translation) – “Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit…”
Place your trust in the God of hope. He can fill your heart with a joy that circumstances cannot steal, and a peace that fear cannot silence.
If you found this encouraging, please leave a comment below. Share this post in your social media platforms as an inspiration to others. Thank you.
Hope grows here. We share stories that inspire people, build faith, and offer lasting purpose.
We’d love to have you Subscribe to REVwords. We’ll put helpful content into your inbox Mondays and Fridays.
Good Morning Pastor Bob. I loved the blog this morning. We all have difficulty or issues in life…just smaller or bigger piles at any given time. It’s how we deal with what is put on our plate. You either suck your thumb in a fetal position, in the corner of a room… or your rise above it, like a phoenix from the ashes. Of course…with faith, that God is walking beside you…every step of the way…just trust in him. In his time, not in your time. I have had my own trials & tribulations recently. Life is just “full of surprises”. It never goes the way…that you expect it will. Full of twists and turns & lots of speed bumps. I could write a novel about my own life. We almost need another coffee date. You would be surprised as I have been…with this chapter of my life, moving into my 65th trip around the sun. God has shown me …clarity of the people who are in my life right now. “The good, bad & the ugly.” LOL! Let’s just say that quote…”You can pick your friends, but you can’t pick your family” comes to mind. Thank you for sharing this blog with us. Have a great week! Keep on, keeping on. ❤️
Always happy for a coffee convo.
Thank you for leaning in and sharing your thoughts and experience. Clarity about people is hard but helpful.
Amen to keep on keeping on.
Thanks, Bob, for your wonderful words on hope. I’m writing an article, “From Despair to Hope”, and your summary has given me points I needed. Thanks again!
You are welcome, Sandi! Great to collaborate.
Thank you for your words of hope PB. “… and hope does not put us to shame.” I will hold on to this one . Also, “ hope deferred makes the heart sick.” ( Proverbs..?)
I am still and will always be learning to trust God, lean not on my own understanding, but to acknowledge Him in ALL my ways, and He will make my path straight.
Glory to God for He is Good; His love lasts for forever.
I’m so encouraged with this article you shared about Hope. The Living Hope indeed.
I thank God for you. Blessings to you and Jocelyn.
Amen, Adena!
Thank you, Raquel!
so.. the word hope for me need clarification . is it I hope there is ice cream in the freezer.. that does not help me much. but this does: . “Unlike a vague wish or an uncertain optimism, the hope of the Bible is a confident expectation that what God has promised will assuredly, without any doubt, come to pass.” I still like ice cream!
Ice cream is good. Yes, hope is a confident certainty that no matter how things turn out (even melted ice cream) God is sovereign and his good will and purposes will be accomplished.
Vaclav Havel – “The kind of hope I often think about (especially in situations that are particularly hopeless, such as prison) I understand above all as a state of mind, not a state of the world. Either we have hope within us or we don’t; it’s a dimension of the soul; it’s not essentially dependent on some particular observation of the world or estimate of the situation. Hope is not prognostication. It is an orientation of the spirit, an orientation of the heart; it transcends the world that is immediately experienced, and is anchored somewhere beyond its horizons. Hope, in this deep and powerful sense, is not the same as joy that things are going well, or willingness to invest in enterprises that are obviously headed for early success, but, rather, an ability to work for something because it is good, not just because it stands a chance to succeed.”