HOPE IN GOD'S PROMISES
“Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for He who promised is faithful.” — Hebrews 10:23 (NIV)
The beginning of a new school year is always a special time. I have always loved preparing my classroom for a new crop of students and have looked forward to learning along with them. This year our first memory verse of the school year really hit home for me. Our second graders have learned this verse for several years and while I have always appreciated it, I never gave it the attention it deserves. As we move forward into the year, this verse continues to resonate with me so I thought it would be a good one to dig deeper into.
Hope in God’s promises is a confident expectation rooted in His enduring faithfulness. Hebrews 10:23 urges us to “hold unswervingly” to this hope, knowing that challenges in life will test our grip. The word unswervingly gives an illustration of a straight path with no detours. It calls us to cling to our hope in God’s promises without veering left or right, without letting fear or doubt pull us off course. Just as a driver must keep his eyes focused on the road ahead, we are called to focus intently on God and His promises even when the road is rough.
We find examples of God’s faithfulness throughout Scripture. In the Old Testament, God promised Abraham that he would be the father of nations, even though both Abraham and Sarah were well past their childbearing years. Years later, Isaac was born and the covenant was continued through him. God promised to deliver His people from slavery in Egypt and, after a series of plagues, led His people through the Red Sea to freedom. In the New Testament, God’s greatest promise was fulfilled in the birth of the promised Messiah - Jesus. Through His life, death, and resurrection, we have assurance of salvation and eternal life with Him.
Our God has promised to never leave us nor forsake us (Hebrews 13:5) and has promised that nothing can separate us from His love (Romans 8:38-39). These are truths that we can hold on to - God has proven again and again that He is faithful.
There will be times when life feels overwhelming, when trials come, prayers feel unanswered, and the future seems uncertain. We need to remember that our hope is not in our circumstances, but in an unchanging God who loves us more than we can understand. Just as He fulfilled His promises in the past, we can trust He will continue to be faithful. So “let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for He who promised is faithful.” (Hebrews 10:23)
May this song, Christ our Hope in Life and Death, be a blessing to you today!