This week’s devotions are based on “Rooted: Finding My Identity in Christ: I am confident! (WATCH HERE)
Ephesians 1:18 I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, …
Paul prayed that the eyes of the Ephesians’ hearts would be opened so they could know “the hope to which he has called you.” Notice that Paul did not pray that God would give them a better set of circumstances. He prayed that they would see more clearly what God had already given them in Christ.
That matters because our confidence often depends on what we can see.
When life is going well, hope comes easily. When the future looks uncertain, hope can feel much harder to hold onto. A difficult diagnosis, a financial concern, a strained relationship, or an unanswered prayer can make tomorrow feel uncertain. We may begin to wonder what will happen and whether we will be able to handle it.
Christian hope is different from wishing.
We might say, “I hope it doesn’t rain tomorrow.” We don’t know whether it will or not. Biblical hope is not a guess about the future. It is confidence in what God has promised because God is faithful.
Peter describes this hope as a living hope. He writes, “He has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead” (1 Peter 1:3). Our hope is alive because Jesus is alive.
Think about a ship in a storm. The waves may be strong enough to make the boat rise and fall, but an anchor keeps the ship from drifting away. The anchor does not make the storm disappear. It gives the ship something solid to hold onto while the storm passes.
That is what Christian hope does.
Hope does not promise that every storm will end the way we want. It promises something better. God will never abandon His children. Christ has forgiven our sins. Jesus has conquered death. Our future with Him is secure.
Hebrews 6:19 says, “We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure.”
Notice where our hope is anchored. It is not anchored in our ability to control the future. It is not anchored in our health, our finances, our plans, or our own strength. It is anchored in Christ.
That means you can face today without knowing everything about tomorrow.
You may not know what the next phone call will bring. You may not know how a difficult situation will resolve. You may not know what changes are coming in the months ahead. But you can know this: Jesus lives. Your sins are forgiven. You belong to Him. Nothing can separate you from His love, and He has promised you an inheritance that can never perish, spoil, or fade.
So when fear begins to whisper, “You don’t know what is going to happen,” answer with the promise of God.
“I may not know what tomorrow holds, but I know who holds tomorrow.”
That is Christian confidence. Our hope is not wishful thinking. It is a living hope anchored in the risen Christ.
Whatever today brings, hold fast to Him. Your circumstances may change. God’s promises do not.