If I asked you what you're hoping for today, what would you say? Perhaps for a job promotion, for a new house, or for a better year than last year? Whenever I hear someone say, "Well, I hope it happens," I wonder if they realize the power of hope. Hope is far more than a wish. The Scripture says that "we have this hope as an anchor for the soul" (Hebrews 6:19). Hope anchors you in disappointing times, in challenging times, in times of failure.
The story of Abraham and Sarah is the classic story of hope and faith. When God spoke the promise to Abraham that they would have a son, it birthed hope in his heart. But they were far past the age of conceiving a child, and the promise seemed an impossibility. So what did God do with Abraham one night?"He brought him outside and said, "Look now toward heaven, and count the stars if you are able to number them." And He said to him, "So shall your descendants be"(Genesis 15:5). God gave Abraham a beautiful visual as an anchor for his hope. How many times did Abraham count the stars to hold on to this hope in the many years that followed? The Scripture says that Abraham "did not doubt or waver in unbelief concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong and empowered by faith" (Romans 4:20). He could "hope on" against the impossible because he kept his eyes fixed on Almighty God, and that hope fueled his faith to the point where Sarah had the strength to conceive Isaac.
God wants you to get your hopes up. If God has spoken a promise to you, or if you are believing for a promise in His Word, I encourage you to put hope in front of that promise. God created this hope inside you, and He doesn't want you to be vague about it. Hope creates vision. Hope gives your faith something to go after. For Abraham it was the stars. You need a picture of what you're going after to keep that promise alive in your heart through the difficult times.
In Paul's prayer in Romans 15, he says, "Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit." Paul was saying, "Take your eyes off your own limitations and focus on the God of all hope, because He's the One who's going to bring it to pass in His timing and in His way." Keep your hopes up because hope is eternal.