“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.”
Have you ever seen a movie where the bride is left standing at the altar and the groom gets cold feet and doesn’t show up? It’s usually a comedy with some silly problems and big blunders, but if that happens in real life, it’s not funny.
The promises of people are fickle – including our own. We might not have been abandoned at the altar, but we could have been left waiting and hoping somewhere else. If you have ever been let down by someone’s promise, you know what it feels like to have dashed hopes.
Do you know that God never breaks a promise? Every word of his is true and reliable. That’s why God’s word says that hoping in him does not put us to shame. There will never be any public embarrassment, feeling stupid, unworthy, or unloved by him. Now that is like a deep breath of fresh air!
Abraham is called the father of all who believe. He received a promise from God that he and his wife would have a baby even though they were long past childbearing age. “Abraham never wavered in believing God’s promise. In fact, his faith grew stronger, and in this, he brought glory to God. He was fully convinced that God is able to do whatever he promises.” Romans 4:20
The amazing thing about God’s promises is they last for eternity. The challenge for us is that we see our lives between the dash: the date we are born and the date we die. Abraham did receive the child God promised in his lifetime, but it was a loooong wait until Isaac was born to him and Sarah (at 100 and 90 years old). There were other promises that Abraham did not see happen in his life like the many nations that would come from his line, descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky, and the land of Canaan that God would give him and his family.
Faith is believing in God. This is what Hebrews Chapter 11 is all about – people of faith who kept believing God through their lives and unto death. Sometimes we expect happy answers in this life and if we don’t get them, we can blame God and doubt our faith. Read the end of Hebrews 11 and you will see some believers kept up their faith in tortuous circumstances, but they placed their hope in a better life after the resurrection. (Hebrews 11:35).
I want to encourage you, to not let your hope become short-sighted. If you have put your faith in God, you’ve got an eternity ahead to experience a good life!
God has a wedding planned. It will be a massive celebration, the wedding of all weddings where the church is the bride and Christ is the groom. Believe me, He is showing up!
Put your hope in him, He will not put you to shame!