Hope Without Gamble

Romans 5:5
Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.

When we say we hope it rains after a long drought we are expressing our need for rain with an unplanned possibility that it might rain. If it does not rain then our hope continues to be disappointed with the drought, especially if we are a farmer and see our crops not growing to their potential.  The hope expressed here in Romans 5 is not like the hope for rain possibilities that could disappoint, this is a hope that does not disappoint. On the contrary it always works out. By entering through faith into what God has always wanted to do for us—set us right with him, make us fit for him—we have it all together with God because of our Master Jesus. And that’s not all: We throw open our doors to God and discover at the same moment that he has already thrown open his door to us. We find ourselves standing where we always hoped we might stand—out in the wide open spaces of God’s grace and glory, standing tall and shouting our praise. (Romans 5:1-2 MSG)

Hope When Trouble Comes

What about when troubles come? Do we enter into a hope that gives us an unplanned possibility of possible disappointment? The truth of the matter is if God be for us who could possibly be against us; and we know God is for us thru Jesus Christ our Lord. This gives us peace in our hearts to have the hope that does not disappoint. So we continue to shout our praise even when we’re hemmed in with troubles, because we know how troubles can develop passionate patience in us, and how that patience in turn forges the tempered steel of virtue, keeping us alert for whatever God will do next. In alert expectancy such as this, we’re never left feeling shortchanged. Quite the contrary—we can’t round up enough containers to hold everything God generously pours into our lives through the Holy Spirit! (Romans 5:3-5 MSG)(Romans 8:31)

Hope That Arrives Right On Time

Christ arrives right on time to make this happen. He didn’t, and doesn’t, wait for us to get ready. He presented himself for this sacrificial death when we were far too weak and rebellious to do anything to get ourselves ready. And even if we hadn’t been so weak, we wouldn’t have known what to do anyway. We can understand someone dying for a person worth dying for, and we can understand how someone good and noble could inspire us to selfless sacrifice. But God put his love on the line for us by offering his Son in sacrificial death while we were of no use whatever to him.

Now that we are set right with God by means of this sacrificial death, the consummate blood sacrifice, there is no longer a question of being at odds with God in any way. If, when we were at our worst, we were put on friendly terms with God by the sacrificial death of his Son, now that we’re at our best, just think of how our lives will expand and deepen by means of his resurrection life! Now that we have actually received this amazing friendship with God, we are no longer content to simply say it in plodding prose. We sing and shout our praises to God through Jesus, the Messiah! (Romans 5:6-11 MSG)

God wants you to have a positive expectation of good. So in everything that happens to you, good or bad, claim and believe it will always work out for you to good. (Romans 8:28) Beloved, put on the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness and step into a hope that does not disappoint. (Isaiah 61:3)