Hope

Hope is one of the messages of Easter. Some of the most hope filled words of all scripture were those spoken by the angel to Mary when he said,  "He is not here: for he is arisen" (Matthew 28:6). Because of the life, ministry, and atoning mission of the Lord Jesus Christ I have hope--hope for a resurrection and hope for a life beyond this life through the eternities. Alma asked, " Do ye exercise faith in the redemption of him who created you? Do you look forward with an eye of faith, and view this mortal body raised in immortality...?  I say unto you, can you imagine to yourselves that ye hear the voice of the Lord, saying unto you, in that day: Come unto me ye blessed, for behold, your works have been the works of righteousness upon the face of the earth?" (Alma 5:15-16). This is my hope.  My hope is centered in Jesus Christ and the promised blessings of His Atonement  (Psalms 16:9-10, 33:22, 38:15, 42:11, 43:5, Proverbs 14:32, Titus 1:2, 3:7, 1 Peter 1:21, Jacob 2:19, 4:4).  Hope in Jesus Christ is the anchor for my soul (Hebrews 6:19, Ether 12:4); it keeps me safely moored and steadfast during the storms of life. 

We can hope for many things in life. We can hope for good grades, a better job, a new house, more money,  a nicer car, and the list could go on endlessly. While these are good things to hope for they are not enduring and none of them bring the happiness that can last into the eternities .   Hope that is centered in Jesus Christ and derived from faith in His Atonement though does  bring true and lasting joy, gladness, peace, and rejoicing (Proverbs 10:28, Jeremiah 17:7, Hebrews 3:6).

Faith is the assurance of things that we hope for. Hope is the manifestation or witness of our faith in Jesus Christ (Hebrews 11:1, Alma 32:21). Hope flows naturally from our faith in Jesus Christ.   Can we have hope without faith? Can we have faith without hope?  Faith, hope, and charity are intricately related (1 Corinthians 13:13, Alma 7:24. Ether 12:4, Moroni 10:20). Moroni wrote:

"How is it that ye can attain unto faith, save ye shall have hope? And what is it that ye shall hope for? Behold I say unto you that ye shall have hope through the atonement of Christ and the power of his resurrection, to be raised unto life eternal, and this because of your faith in him according to the promise. Wherefore, if a man have faith he must needs have hope; for without faith there cannot be any hope" (Moroni 7:42) 

Paul wrote that faith and charity are a breastplate and hope a helmet (1 Thessalonians 5:8). The breastplate of faith and love [charity] to protect our heart and the helmet of the hope to light the path to eternal life--all three are interrelated. Perhaps they are all facets of the same godly attribute.  Without one you cannot have the other. The stronger and more unshaken our faith in Christ the more lively (1 Peter 1:3) and excellent (Ether 12:32) our hope becomes until it is perfectly bright (2 Nephi 31:20) and we abound in it (Romans 15:13). We then have the the reason to endure life's challenges. Paul wrote, "For now we see through a glass, darkly" 1 Corinthians 13:12). It is hope that enables us to see through the glass. When we become discouraged or fearful, we need to focus on Jesus Christ just as Peter did when falling into the Sea of Galilee after failing to walk on the water,he cried out to Jesus, "Lord, save me" (Matthew 14:30). If we can stay focused on Christ and the hope that He gives to us, the problems we face can be seen from an eternal perspective and we can endure.