Hope: “to cherish a desire with expectation of fulfillment” (Webster). How do we hold on to that little four-letter word when we’re caught in a swirling current that threatens to drown us?

The key is choosing a reliable foundation for our hope.

Over many years I’ve collected Bible verses about hope. I can find these easily in a concordance, but these personal notes remind me of lonely places where God spoke hope into my circumstances. Some notes include the date I received assurance from the Lord that he heard my heart’s cry and began acting in my behalf.

The verses aren’t just a concordance list but a record of Creator God at work in my life, promises of his love and presence and reliability in my lonely places. I don’t remember each circumstance, but I remember the hope God’s Word gave me, through whatever translation I was reading at the time.

“…hope always means waiting for something that we do not yet see. For whoever hopes when he can see? But if we hope for something we cannot see, then we must settle down to wait for it in patience.” (Romans 8:24b-25 Phillips).

“…we have [fixed our hope] on the living God, Who is the Savior, (Preserver, Maintainer, Deliverer) of all men, especially of those who believe (trust in, rely on, and adhere to Him)” (1 Timothy 4:10 Amplified).

“Then you will know that I am the Lord; those who hope in me will not be disappointed” (Isaiah 49:23b NIV).

As long as circumstances offer any hope, we will not hope in God. Hopeless desperation drives us to him, the only reliable foundation for our hope.

As long as circumstances offer any hope, we will not hope in God. Hopeless desperation drives us to him, the only reliable foundation for our hope. Click To Tweet

I remember coming close to feeling hopeless, only to realize I’d landed in that lonely place when I failed to trust God. Trust feeds hope. When we trust God, we live in hope.

“Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed…” Romans 4:18a NIV).

“So let us seize and hold fast and retain without wavering the hope we cherish and confess and our acknowledgment of it, for He who promised is reliable (sure) and faithful to His word” (Hebrews 10:23 Amplified).

“For in thee, O Lord, do I hope; thou wilt hear, O Lord my God” (Psalm 38:15); “…my hope is in thee” (Psalm 39:7). “Thou art my hope, O Lord; thou art my trust from my youth” (Psalm 71:5).

“…in and on Him we have set our hope (our joyful and confident expectation) that he will again deliver us [from danger and destruction and draw us to Himself]” (2 Corinthians 1:10b Amplified).

As a writer, I can offer a little hope. But I can refer those in a lonely place to the one whose words come with a guarantee he will keep his promises.

“…the Lord will be the hope of His people, and the strength of the children of Israel” (Joel 3:16).

“Behold, the eye of the Lord is upon them that fear Him, upon them that hope in His mercy; To deliver their soul from death, and to keep them alive in famine. Our soul waiteth for the Lord: he is our help and our shield. For our heart shall rejoice in him, because we have trusted in his holy name. Let thy mercy, O Lord, be upon us, according as we hope in thee” (Psalm 33:18-22).

“The eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous, and His ears are open unto their cry” (Psalm 34:15).

“Be of good courage, and he shall strengthen your heart, all ye that hope in the Lord” (Psalm 31:24).

If you’re interested in continuing this study of hope, following are more of my favorite Scriptures.

Lamentations 3:21-26

Psalm 39:7

Psalm 42:5-11

Psalm 43:5

Psalm 71:5-14

Psalm 146:5-6

Write out these verses and put them in your “hope” file to encourage yourself and keep hope blazing in lonely places. As for this day, here’s a decision you’ll never regret.

“I wait for the Lord, my soul doth wait, and in His word do I hope” (Psalm 130:5).

We can live in hope in lonely places because God is a reliable foundation for our hope—the only reliable foundation.

We can live in hope in lonely places because God is a reliable foundation for our hope—the only reliable foundation. Click To Tweet

Are you in a lonely place today trying to hold on to hope? I’d be honored if you’d tell me about it. And please share this article with your friends.

Scriptures from KJV unless noted

© Dianne Barker 2021