“In hope we were saved.”

For in hope we were saved. Now hope that sees for itself is not hope. For who hopes for what one sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait with endurance. ROMANS 8:24-25

“Now hope that sees for itself is not hope.” What a thought-provoking assertion, Paul.

I have natural hopes for loads of outcomes. I hope that my children lead fulfilling, fruitful lives. I hope that my health holds out. I hope that the bread dough I just mixed rises.

I can envision those outcomes. In a way, I “see” them, but even with those ordinary, everyday hopes, of course as I can’t see the future, there’s a sense that I am hoping for something unseen.

Even more so with this theological, spiritual virtue of hope. What God has in store for us—our redemption, our reconciliation—indeed, the reconciliation of all of creation, which is what Paul’s talking about in this whole chapter of the letter—is totally beyond our comprehension, isn’t it?

We have hints and glimpses in our earthly life, but that’s all they are. To put my life in his hands, to join the Lord on this journey, to listen to his voice above any other that I hear in this life, even if—or especially if—the world is telling me I’m wasting my time? Well, that’s trust. That’s hope.

ACT: Reach out to another, even in a small way, without worrying about the outcome.

Amy Welborn

hope Jubilee 2025