Romans 8: 24 – 25

For in hope we have been saved, but hope that is seen is not hope; for who hopes for what he already sees?

But if we hope for what we do not see, with perseverance we wait eagerly for it.

An athlete dreams of one day winning that coveted Olympic gold medal. He/she hopes to one day stand on the podium and receive that medal, making their country and family proud. In order to achieve that goal, he/she works hard, trains, sacrifices pleasures and with dedication strives to make that hope a reality. They may not succeed in the initial attempts but they never give up on their dream. Until the goal is attained, they will not rest.

Many of us struggle with weight issues. We all hope to have a healthy, muscular, lean, good-looking bodies. We diet, exercise, sacrifice our food cravings, hoping that one day, we will gain our optimum weight and healthy-looking body. We take all measures to be disciplined about our eating habits. We change our lifestyle to accommodate our goal. We don’t give up on that hope but strive to come closer to our desired goal.

In life, there are several instances, where we have a goal/dream that we discipline ourselves to achieve it and make it a reality. As long as there is room for improvement, any hope of the dream becoming a reality, we will put in extra effort to achieve. Whether it is career, health, finances etc., we will not leave a single stone unturned. We have not yet seen with our eyes our dream/goal coming to fruition but in our mind’s eye, we have already seen the picture.

We, as believers of Lord Jesus Christ, have a blessed hope. A hope in something that we have not seen yet. We are aware of the reward that awaits us, the eternity with our Father in Heaven and Christ His Son. We are familiar about the glorified bodies that we will receive. We are eagerly looking forward to see what we are hoping for now, becomes a reality. Paul, in his letter to Romans states eloquently the blessed hope we have in Christ even though we do not see it now. However, with perseverance we wait eagerly for it.

When we are waiting, how are we waiting? Are we training our faith? Are we disciplined in working towards that goal? Are we praying, reading the Word of God, meditating on His Word, living out our lives faithfully, and shining His light to the world around us? How have we disciplined ourselves towards that goal?

Fortunately, for us, thanks to His Divine Providence, He gave us His Holy Spirit to intercede on behalf of us. Through His power we inch closer to our blessed hope. When He is for us, who can be against us? (Romans 8: 31) He, who is seated at the right hand of the Father intercedes for us. When nothing can separate us from our loving Heavenly Father (Romans 8: 38 -39), who assures us that He is our only hope, all we need to do is just trust Him.

Beloved Saint of God, let us be diligent in pursuing Him, who is our only hope. Let us be disciplined in exercising our spiritual muscles every day by praying, reading and spending time in His presence. Let us persevere in achieving that goal of finally seeing Him face to face, our blessed hope. When we are training in such fashion, we will be confident of the dream becoming a reality. When our blessed hope appears, we will be standing firmly and confidently (1 John 2: 28).