You may look upon hope as fantasy, only pretending. Or, you may see hope for only those who are ignorant. Such empty hope has no power to change peoples lives. Yet, hope in God is real and sure. Hope in God is based upon real promises from God found in the Bible. God's word is the bond of hope.
You may not be able to hope in God, if you only hope in what you can see. God cannot be seen, because God is Spirit. Like the air we breathe, God cannot be seen, but He sustains our lives. So it is with hope in God. "For we were saved in this hope, but hope that is seen is not hope; for why does one still hope for what he sees?" (Romans 8:24).
You may have hope only in this present life. Beyond death, you may have no hope. God's children have a real hope beyond death. That hope is for you in Christ alone, risen from the dead. "If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable, but now Christ is risen from the dead" (1 Corinthians 15:19-20).
God gives this hope through Christ. Real hope comes always and only as a gift from the Spirit of God to your heart. Hope is awakened in your heart as you trust Jesus Christ. Hope becomes real to you, when it happens in your heart.
