Live with great expectation. Be truly glad. There is wonderful joy ahead.

 

In 2015, a series of devotionals appeared on this blog.

If you’re still looking for the Hope devotionals, I’m sorry, they’re no longer here.

They’ve been compiled into book form– actually, into four books that will soon be available (summer and fall, 2018; the fourth in 2020).

These books, called the Hope Knows books, are a series of meditations on the hope Christians have been given.

It is not only hope for a far-off, other-world life. It’s hope for today, yesterday, and tomorrow. It’s hope for every one of us, in all our impossibles, our questions, our imperfection — hope for our entire journey.

And it is not “hope” in the sense that we “wish” these things would happen.

This hope rests on sure, solid promises from a God who does not lie and always keeps His word.

The Hope Knows books are not a complex theological study. They are my platform for sharing the encouragement and hope I’ve found in the Scriptures.

Getting Through Today looks at the promise of God that He will supply everything we need to get through today. Everything. Sometimes we wonder how we’re going to get through what lies ahead in the next few hours. God’s promises are bridges laid in our path to move us ahead. We can trust those bridges to carry us forward. The one who built the bridges will never abandon us.

Beyond the Past is for those of us “with a past.” Do we have to be a prisoner of our past? Must we forever pay for what we’ve done? How do we get rid of the great burden of guilt and shame? Those who belong to Christ have great news, an amazing hope for our past, no matter what lies back there, accusing us.

Can God be Trusted? Every one of us must make the decision whether or not we’re going to trust what God says. We have learned to be a wary bunch. We don’t trust guarantees that sound “too good to be true.” Can we trust God to do what He says He will do?

Facing the Future is for all of us who try to peer ahead and feel quivers of fear and anxiety about tomorrow. How can we live confidently, boldly, expectantly in this dark world, with its questionable future?

 

I offer the Hope Knows books as a help:

To answer the question. These pages are for all who have asked, What do Christians hope for? What hope is there in this world?

As a daily reminder. We too often forget our birthright as children of God. We are assaulted by many other voices and messages that tell us life is frail, faith is futile, and hope is faint. Listen, instead, to the voice of your Creator, whose plans and promises will never be thwarted. Take a few minutes each day to hear reassurance from the God of all hope and to give thanks to Him who holds your life in His hands.

For encouragement in tough times. If you are hanging on by your fingernails, hear the promises of God, even in the midst of the fire or flood or earthquake now sweeping through your life. Use the additional Scriptures given for each section to dig deeper, read His Word, and hear the voice of the One who loves you and holds you through it all.

For group study. The outline of additional Scriptures on each subject can also be used as a springboard for group study and discussion. We need to encourage each other to live firmly in these hopes.

Live with great expectation!

Elaine