Hope is crucial to life. Despair is its absence, and despair is deadly. The Bible is a book of hope. Our hope is fundamentally in the world to come. It is Christ himself. We hope to see the glory of God. We hope to share the glory of God. “We rejoice in the hope of the glory of God” (Rom 5:2). We hope in a New Creation deprived of crying, pain despair, depression, or suffering.  

What can we do to grow in hope? On our best days we should think. “Things are really good . I am experiencing a small foretaste of the age to come. Imagine how much better my future inheritance will be. This is nothing compared to that for which I wait.”

How should we respond when the clouds of despair descend? “Today is rough. I feel hopeless and despairing. But the truth is altogether different. I have a glorious inheritance. God’s presence will be “fullness of joy.” Unabated, eternal pleasures are my portion (Ps. 16:11). In Peter’s words, “Joy inexpressible and full of glory” (1 Pet. 1:8) will be my baptism.

So today, let us abound in hope. “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope” (Rom. 15:13).