D&C 4:5 (Hope)

"And faith, hope, charity and love, with an eye single to the glory of God, qualify him for the work."

*Hope*

Webster: 1: to cherish a desire with anticipation ; 2 trust; 3: to desire with expectation of obtainment; 4: to expect with confidence

• Prov. 10:28 - h. of the righteous shall be gladness
• Hope is one of the keys of happiness!
• Prov. 13:12 - h. deferred maketh the heart sick
• Despair is the opposite of hope. When we defer hope, or despair, we become "heartsick"- depressed, downcast, downtrodden.
• Jer. 17:7 - Blessed is the man...whose h. the Lord is
• Rom. 4:18 - [Abraham] against h. believed in h.
• Rom. 5:2-5 - ...Rejoice in h. of the glory of God. And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also; knowing that tribulation worketh patience; And patience, experience; and experience, h.: And h. maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.
• These verses are rich in wisdom. We can rejoice in hope and "glory" in our trials! We are happy to have trials, as Paul of old, because trials bring patience. Patience brings experience. Experience then gives us hope because we know that things get better, that we can overcome hardships in our life.
• Rom. 8:24 - For we are saved by h.: but h. that is seen is not h.: for what a man seeth, why doeth he yet h. for?
• This seems to be one of the purposes of the veil. We have forgotten our premortal life with our Father that we may learn to trust in him or, in other words, to hope for the fulfillment of His promises to us.
• Rom. 15:4 - For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have h.
• Here is a tiny jewel of truth. The scriptures were written a long time ago- FOR OUR LEARNING. The scriptures, through our patience- or diligent study- will give us hope. I think this is because as we study the scriptures we learn the word of God, including His plan for us. As we learn that word, the Spirit bears witness to us that it is true. When we receive that witness, we then trust in the Lord's promises, or develop HOPE.
• Heb. 6:19 - Which h. we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and stedfast...
• In the tumultuous times in which we live, many are tossed about on the waves of uncertainty. Hope is the anchor of our soul that can keep us tied down, sure and steadfast, to the foundation of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
• Ether 12:4 - Wherefore, whoso believeth in God might with a surety h. for a better world, yea, even a place at the right hand of God, which h. cometh of faith, maketh an anchor to the souls of men, which would make them sure and steadfast, always abounding in good works, being led to glorify God.
• When we are discouraged we can simply ask ourselves if we truly believe in God. If the answer is yes, we are promised that we can therefore hope for a better world than this, even a place at the right hand of God!
• Moro. 8:26 - Comforter filleth with h. and perfect love
• Hope is one of the fruits of the Spirit.

Oftentimes, I get discouraged at the wickedness of the world. It seems that Satan is lurking in every corner. But when despair threatens to overwhelm me, I focus on my burning testimony that God lives, that He is in charge, and that He will conquer in the end. This testimony gives me the hope for the future that I need to keep pressing ever onward.