I recently went to a cemetery to visit the graves of my parents. The words (Christ is my hope) seem to stand out so vividly to me. As I began to look at other headstones I was amazed at how many of them had different versions of the same statement. The word or thought most common among them was hope. I know in some instances, the author of those verses was those who lay beneath those headstones.

Many interpret the word hope as a wish. Strongs (1679-1680) describes hope as a thing (desired-expected-anticipated). Based upon that we can safely say hope is a thing desired that we expect to receive. When as a child, I have wished for things that I never expected to receive. This hope under consideration is so implanted in our very being and the depth of our soul by the Lord, that we expect to receive it and have clung to it through the adversities of life.

(Heb. 6:18-19) “That by two immutable “unchangeable” things, “counsel and oath” in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us:” (V. 19) “Which hope we have an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, and which entereth into that within the veil;” Notice in (V. 17) that god was willing more abundantly to show these things unto the heirs of promise. (V. 18) That by two unchangeable things mentioned above we (those who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us), might have a strong consolation.

This hope, which God has placed in our heart, is an anchor of our soul. It is not anchored to this world, which will burn one day. That hope within us, which we have laid hold upon enters into that within the veil. What is that within the veil? The High Priest after the order of Melchisedec entered once by His own blood into the (one) Holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us. Children of God, our hope is anchored to that, which He says is both sure and steadfast.

This anchor cannot be moved. Other anchors will sometimes yield if enough force is applied, but the one under consideration, will never move. I have witnessed the lives of some of the dear old saints of God whose hope was manifested in their life and it sustained them and caused them to keep their eyes upon Jesus. Now, they no longer need a hope because why would anyone hope for what they already have?

What is the source of that hope? (Col. 1:27) “To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory;” If you have a hope of glory, I take this verse of scripture as evidence that Christ is in you.

(PS 22:9) “But thou art He that took me out of the womb; Thou didst make me hope when I was upon my mother’s breast.” David declared it to be the same one who took him out of the womb that also caused (made) him to hope so early in life.

(PS 16:9) “Therefore my heart is glad and my glory rejoiceth: my flesh also shall rest in this hope.” How we should rejoice in this hope.

(Zech. 9:12) “Turn you to the stronghold, ye prisoners of hope; even today do I declare that I will render double unto thee;) We neither can nor do we desire to escape this precious hope. It is with us until we receive the object of that hope. We see it manifested in the lives of so many of the precious saints of God and it will not let them go even amidst the despair and hopelessness of this world.

(Tit. 1:2) “In hope of eternal life, which God that cannot lie, promised before the world began:” How sure is eternal life? Who did God promise it to? I am persuaded, this promise was made to His Son in an eternal covenant. We were not here yet only in that perfect foreknowledge of God. We find in (John 17:2) that Jesus was given power over all flesh, that He should give eternal life to as many as the Father had given Him. Oh how precious is that free gift (Grace) to us and all our hope rests in that finished work of Jesus Christ.

My hope sometimes begins to grow dim; one of the old poets expressed it well in a song entitled Mixtures of Joy and Sorrow. Part of the second verse reads; ”Sometimes my hope is so little I think I’ll throw it by, sometimes it seems sufficient if I were called to die." If I might borrow a simple thought from a dear old Elder (Jerry Cleburn) who has gone to his Long Home. Speaking of his hope he said, “when my hope grows dim and it gets tarnished by the world, I go to Church and hear Jesus and the power of His resurrection preached and it polishes my hope and it shines bright once more.” Does your hope ever get dim? Go to Church. The preaching of the gospel will polish your hope and make it bright.

Do all men have hope? Lets get the Apostle Paul to answer that for us. (I Thes. 4:13) ”But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope.” That should be sufficient for the question.

Once again brethren, I think I can understand now to a degree, why so many of the precious old saints of God had a desire to rest beneath a headstone that declared their hope to be in Christ. May they rest in peace. The next voice they hear will be the voice of the son of God, telling them to come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the Kingdom, the Eternal City prepared of God: have a sweet hope to meet you there, “Where The Soul Never Dies.”