Hope Will Not Shame You
Hope is so much more than wishing for a better tomorrow. In this series, we'll explore what it means to know Abba as the God of Hope and discover how His goodness and Love allow us to live fully today and look toward tomorrow with hope.
When Love Is Greater Than The Outcome
“And hope does not put us to shame, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.” Romans 5:5
When Hope Feels Risky
Sometimes, hoping again can feel dangerous.
You've prayed before. Believed before. Maybe others prayed with you. You wanted healing, reconciliation, a different diagnosis, or simply for something you loved not to end.
And it didn't happen.
I've been there too.
Sometimes disappointment teaches our hearts to protect themselves.
Maybe if I don't hope quite so much next time, it won't hurt quite so badly...
Then Paul says, “Hope does not put us to shame.”
The Greek word for shame, kataischynō, carries the idea of being disgraced, disappointed, or left exposed.
A Surprising Road To Hope
Note how Paul arrives at hope in Romans chapter 5.
Affliction. Perseverance. Proven character. Hope.
I would expect hope to grow when circumstances improve.
Paul finds it growing right in the middle of difficulty.
I've discovered some things about Abba in places I never would have chosen to go. Not explanations for everything that happened. Something better.
I found Him there.
Love Has Been Poured Out
Paul tells us why hope will never finally leave us exposed:
“Because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit.”
Poured out.
Not rationed according to how well we prayed.
Not withheld because our faith wavered.
His Love has already been poured into us.
So I can still ask boldly. I can still pray for miracles. I can still hope when experience tells me to protect myself.
And when the answer isn't what I wanted, it doesn't mean I was foolish to hope.
I Can Hope Again
Disappointment may hurt. It may leave questions that don't disappear quickly.
But disappointment doesn't get to tell me whether Abba is good.
His Love has already spoken.
Hope doesn't mean I will never be disappointed. It means disappointment will never have the authority to define Abba's goodness or the future of my story.
I can hope again.
Not because I know what will happen.
Because His Love has already been poured out.
Reflection
Where has disappointment made me afraid to hope again?
Have I allowed an unanswered prayer to define Abba's heart?
What would it look like to hope again from the Love already poured into me?
Prayer
Abba Father, meet me tenderly in the places where disappointment has made hope feel risky. Let the Love You have already poured into me give my heart freedom to hope again. Amen.