"Hope is an abiding trust that the Lord will
fulfill His promises to you. It is manifest in
confidence, optimism, enthusiasm, and patient
perseverance. It is believing and expecting that
something will occur. When you have hope,
you work through trials and difficulties with
the confidence and assurance that all things
will work together for your good. Hope helps
you conquer discouragement. The scriptures
often describe hope in Jesus Christ as the
assurance that you will inherit eternal life in
the celestial kingdom."
There is great power in knowing that good things are coming! It's easier to find joy in life. It's easier to be happy. It's easier to work though the hard times. Why is it sometimes so hard for us to trust that God will fulfill His promises to us?
A large part of this is understanding what promises God has made to us. We must go to the temple, study the scriptures, study the words of the prophets and our own personal scripture to find out what God has promised us.
I love the words in the hymn "We Thank Thee O God For A Prophet"
"When dark clouds of trouble hang o'er us
And threaten our peace to destroy,
There is hope smiling brightly before us,
And we know that deliv'rance is nigh.
We doubt not the Lord nor his goodness.
We've proved him in days that are past.
The wicked who fight against Zion
Will surely be smitten at last."
Even if we can only see the promises afar off (Hebrews 11:14) we can be persuaded of them, and embrace them. That is HOPE.
