Do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded. You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised. Hebrews 10:35-36

Last time we talked about the God of hope filling us with all joy and peace as we trust in Him, so that we overflow with hope (Rom 15:13). Getting to know God and His ways builds trust and hope within us because we know Him personally, we know His character, we personally experience His love and care.

I sometimes call this experiencing Jesus first hand: Through the ups and downs of life, we grow in the knowledge and experience of His nature and character. By experiencing His grace over and over in all kinds of situations, He shows us what is really important, shifting our focus away from ourselves and our problems, desires, and priorities onto Him, His faithfulness, and His abundance.

And it is in this every-day experience – this receiving His comfort in the trials, his enablement to stand against certain defeat – walking with us through victories and setbacks (we don’t like setbacks, but He uses those, too), learning from experience “the secret of being content in any and every situation” whether in plenty or in need, that we can do all this through Him who gives us strength (Phil 4:12,13).

When our circumstances seem to be the opposite of God’s promises and hope is hard to find amid the distractions and bewilderment of loss and disappointment, desperation breeds further revelation of Jesus in us, the hope of glory (Col 1:27). The main and most foundational revelation that we need is finding Him not only as Lord and Savior but as our truest friend and bridegroom. Paul speaks of this in 2 Corinthians. In fixing our attention on Him, we are transformed into His image from glory to glory (3:18).

We find in Him the security and fulfillment that, when we lack it, causes us to fall into worry and hopelessness. It rescues us from grim resignation and confusion, and, knowing Him this way empowers us to have faith and believe His promises so that we believe with confidence, the Lord is our helper, and not be afraid (Heb 13:6). It increases our confidence in His faithfulness and His promises so that our hearts receive His words with unshakable certainty: “What I have promised, that I will bring about; what I have planned, that I will do” (Is 46:11).