Keep Hope Alive, Evans Olang

Colossians 1:28, “… Christ in you, the hope of glory”

Most times, hopeless people have no reason to live. Most suicides are as a result of hopelessness. Over one million people commit suicide every year. The World Health Organization estimates that suicide is the thirteenth-leading cause of deaths worldwide. The National Safety Council rates it sixth in the United States. Suicide is the leading cause of death among teenagers and adults under 35. I further discovered that worldwide, an estimated 10 to 20 million non-fatal suicide attempts occur every year. In the midst of these startling statistics, I take comfort in knowing that hope keeps man alive. As long as hope remains alive, it doesn’t matter what we go through, including pain and suffering because hope propels us to continue fighting until the end. People who lose hope throw in the towel and call it quits; however, hopeful people keep standing through time and seasons. Hope is an expectation and an anticipation; something to look forward to. Hope isn’t about uncertainty, it’s a certainty that just hasn’t yet been realized.

Faith is the backbone that keeps hope alive. You hope for something that has not materialized yet. When you hope for something, you just can’t stop thinking and talking about it, watching for it, and even waiting for it. In Luke 15, Jesus tells the parable of a father who had two sons. This is now famously referred to as “The prodigal son.” In the story, the younger son took his inheritance and went to a far country where he wasted it on a riotous living. When he finally came to his senses after spending everything, he decided to go back home. While he was gone, his father had been hoping, praying, waiting, and watching for him to come home. Luke 15:20 says “And he rose, and came to his father. But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him.” His father didn’t just see him passing by; he had been hoping that one day he would come home. Hope had been keeping him alive, and for that reason, he was never plagued with depression and fear. Hope will make you embrace promises and desires even they seem so distant. When the things you are hoping for finally appear, you will run to receive them.

Someone who is hopeful is at rest. The Psalmist says in Psalms 16:9, “Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoices: my flesh shall rest in hope.” Feeling restless is a painful situation to be in. People who are in “Hope” mode do different kinds of things to keep that hope alive. Psalm 71:14 says “But I will hope continually, and will yet praise thee more and more.” You can be in hope mode and still complain and wonder when the thing you are hoping for will come to fruition. The Psalmist said he would keep hope alive daily and consistently, and praise the Lord even more. Praising the Lord while in hope mode is vital because it keeps fueling the faith needed to trust the Lord even more, so you won’t give up.

Colossians 1:28 says “Christ in you, the hope of glory…” Our greatest hope is in Christ. What a way to hope. He is always with us, and promises to never leave us. When we get discouraged and feel like giving up, His words of comfort and hope keep us alive, so we can trust Him. As He orders our steps and guides us, He teaches us to hope in Him even more. If he brought us this far, He will certainly take us even further. If He provided for us then, He will do it again. If He fought for us then, we hope that He will do it again. If He provided a job then, He will do it again. We must hope in Him all day long.

Have you lost hope in the possibility of getting married, being in ministry, and being used by the Lord? Have you lost hope in finding your desired career, achieving your goals and becoming somebody? If you have, don’t let hope die because Christ lives in you. Keep living to the fullest and exercise the things that will keep your hope alive, and remember, “Christ in you, the hope of glory, the hope of splendor, of magnificence, of wonder, of brilliance, and of many more”

Keep Hope Alive!!!!! Blessings Ev

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