I got my hopes up this week. The weather forecasters were calling for serious snowfall on Monday and Tuesday, and our family was getting excited. Last year there was so little snow, we missed out on sledding and some of our other favorite winter activities. So to say the least, we were delighted at the prospect of a Chicago winter wonderland. I know some of you probably think we’re deranged to look forward to snow, but there it is.
We had our hopes up. We could hardly sleep. We got up Tuesday morning and ran to the windows to find all that had fallen was rain. What a disappointment! Our hopes were dashed. The forecast was a bust. Everything we’d waited for turned out to be a big fat nothing. We got our hopes up in vain. At least we didn’t have to get out the shovels!
As followers of Jesus, we have solid reason to get our hopes up. The forecast for our future is glorious! And unlike Chicago weather prediction models, this forecast is 100% accurate! In Romans 5:2–5 the apostle Paul writes, “We celebrate in hope of the glory of God,” and that “hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us” (NASB). One day Jesus shall return in glory and set all things to rights. Our lowly bodies will be transformed into His glorious likeness, for we shall see Him face to face. Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of our Father. That is a glorious forecast worth waiting for with eager anticipation. We can get our hopes up for that! And that hope won’t disappoint. It’s a sure and certain hope. Because we’ve already tasted its beginning. The love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit as a down payment and promise of the glorious hope that is already on the way. The Spirit in us is a guarantee of the glories to come. We have a hope that will never disappoint!
So today, remember that you are loved, more than you know, and there’s glory just around the corner!
