What Does It Mean to Put Our Hope in God

What does it mean to put our hope in God? The Bible is full of instructions to put our hope in God. It is important to know what this means and how to do it practically. 

Permanent and Temporary Hopes

We all tend to place hope in someone or something. This could be a spouse, a parent, a child, a friend, a job, savings, our health, our abilities, etc. We naturally place at least some hope in our situations, circumstances, and relationships.

When any of these things are threatened or taken from us, our sense of hope diminishes. Most of what we hope for (or put our hope in) is fragile and temporary. When our sense of hope is strong, we thrive inside.

God invites us to put our hope in what lasts forever, in something and someone eternal. He has placed eternity in our hearts, the longing for something more than the eye meets. (Ecclesiastes 3:11) He beckons us to put our hope in the only one thing that doesn’t change and lives forever: God Himself. Only in Him, we can be sure that our hope will not be disappointed.

God beckons us to put our hope in the only one thing that doesn’t change and lives forever: God Himself. Only in Him, we can be sure that our hope will not be disappointed. #hope #trustGod #encouragement Share on X

Lost Hopes and Disappointments

Before we can put our hope in God, it is helpful to identify our lost hopes and take the time to grieve our disappointments. Many of our temporary hopes will not be fulfilled.

We need to identify these sources of disappointment and regret and release them to God in prayer. Then we can direct our hopes again to Him, asking the Lord to give us a renewed sense of hope.

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What Does It Mean to Put Our Hope in God – 7 Ways

There are 7 major ways or steps leading us to put our hope in God and increase our trust in Him.

#1 Putting Our Hope in God’s Goodness and Love

The first way is our choice to trust His goodness and love. We choose to acknowledge that God is good all the time, even when our circumstances are not, and He does good. We recall that God is love and everything He does is fueled by His love, which is His very essence. His goodness and love don’t change. They remain the same doesn’t matter how we or our circumstances change. 

“Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him.”  (1 John 4:8-9)

#2 Putting Our Hope in God’s Power

The second way to put our hope in God is the acknowledgment of His power. God is the Almighty God. He has all the power in the universe, there is nothing too difficult for Him; nothing that He can’t do or accomplish. There is nothing He can’t redeem, restore, or heal. When we trust the Almighty God, our sense of hope increases.

“I am the Lord, the God of all mankind. Is anything too hard for me?”  (Jeremiah 32:27)

When we trust the Almighty God, our sense of hope increases. #trustGod #encouragement #hope Share on X

#3 Putting Our Hope in God’s Wisdom and Perfect Knowledge

When we struggle with lost hopes and disappointments, our sense of hope can return by remembering God’s infinite wisdom and perfect knowledge. Our minds are limited and there is so much we don’t see and understand. But we can always stand on the truth that God knows best, and He has our best interest in mind. His will for us is always perfect and acceptable. (Romans 12:2)

“Praise be to the name of God for ever and ever; wisdom and power are his. He changes times and seasons; he deposes kings and raises up others. He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to the discerning. He reveals deep and hidden things; he knows what lies in darkness, and light dwells with him.” (Daniel 2:21-22)

#4 Putting Our Hope in God’s Redemptive Plan

There are so many things that go wrong in this world. We get our share of troubles, hardships, and suffering. In hard seasons, marked by losses and pain, it is easy to lose our sense of hope. That’s why it is important to remember that God is the God of redemption and restoration. It is helpful to trust His redemptive plan and look out for the ways He is already working to redeem our pains, lost hopes, and disappointments. With God, there always will be an “again” in our lives.

“I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with unfailing kindness. I will build you up again, and you, Virgin Israel, will be rebuilt. Again, you will take up your timbrels and go out to dance with the joyful.” (Jeremiah  31:3-4)

With God, there always will be an “again” in our lives. #hope #encouragement #restoration Share on X

#5 Putting Our Hope in God’s Word 

We can actively put our hope in God and strengthen our sense of hope whenever we choose to trust God’s Word and God’s promises. His Word and promises are stable and secure, and God Himself watches over them and takes care to fulfill every word. Heaven and earth will pass away, but His words will never pass away. (Matthew 24:35)

“The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God endures forever.” (Isaiah 40:8)

#6 Putting Our Hope in God’s Sovereignty

God’s sovereignty means that there is no one above the Lord. He does what He pleases and no one can stop or hinder His intentions, plans, and deeds or demand an explanation. He does all He wants with whom He wants and when He wants.

In His wisdom and love, He does always the best, and He always has a purpose and a plan. When we choose to acknowledge and trust God’s sovereignty, we humbly proclaim that He is God and He rules over our lives and the whole creation.

“I know that you can do all things; no purpose of yours can be thwarted. You asked, ‘Who is this that obscures my plans without knowledge?’ Surely I spoke of things I did not understand, things too wonderful for me to know.” (Job 42:2-3)

When we choose to acknowledge and trust God’s sovereignty, we humbly proclaim that He is God and He rules over our lives and the whole creation. #trustGod  #hope #encouragement Share on X

#7 Putting Our Hope in God’s Justice 

Life is unfair, and that diminishes our sense of hope. We can regain it when we choose to put our trust in God’s justice and fairness. God is a holy and just God who will not leave the unrighteous unpunished. He is the righteous Judge, the only one who is able to judge perfectly and repay everyone what he or she deserves. When we feel hopeless about injustices that have happened to us, we can submit our case to the righteous Judge and find peace.

“Yet the Lord longs to be gracious to you; therefore he will rise up to show you compassion. For the Lord is a God of justice. Blessed are all who wait for him!” (Isaiah 30:18)

What Does It Mean to Put Our Hope in God Printable

I have prepared a printable of these 7 ways to put our hope in God and the accompanying Bible verses to help you meditate on them. Click on the image to download it.

More Resources to Fuel Your Hope

If you need additional resources to restore your sense of hope, I can highly recommend these books.

Hope for the Hard Days by Sarah Geringer

Draw Near: How Painful Experiences Become the Birthplace of Blessings by Hadassah Treu

Life Changing Stories by Mary Armand

Mining for God’s Gold in Life’s Dark Valleys by Margaret E. Head

Trusting God in All the Things: 90 Devotions for Finding Peace in Your Every Day by Karen Ehman and Ruth Schwenk

Life Can Be Good Again by Lisa Appelo

It’s Not Supposed to Be This Way by Lisa Terkeurst

Hope When Life Unravels: Finding God When It Hurts by Adam Dooley

Restoration Year – a 365 Days Devotional by John Eldredge

All Things New by John Eldredge

This page contains affiliate links, which means I make a small commission at no extra cost to you. The commission I make from these items will help keep this blog going. Thank you!

Your Turn

Which of these ways to put your hope in God do you need to practice today? Do you have other ways to put your hope in God? Share in the comments. If you have found this article helpful, I would be happy if you share it on social media. Thanks!

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