Hope Does Not Disappoint

May 1

Nothing is more painful than disappointed expectations. The romance that began with much promise then inexplicably turned sour, the promotion that seemed sure until it was given to someone else, the purchase that seemed to be such a good investment until it tanked—name it; we’ve all been there.

We tend to transfer the worst of our disappointed expectations toward God Himself when we pray. It’s almost as though we’re afraid to take Him at His Word—though He says He “cannot fail or forsake you” (Deuteronomy 31:8). Because others have disappointed our hope, we fear that Jesus will, too.

But in Romans 5:5, Paul assures us that our apprehension that the Lord will let us down is unfounded—and he tells us why: “Hope does not disappoint because God’s love has been poured out in our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.”

The role of the Third Person of the Trinity is to teach, to guide, to assure, and to affirm the nearness of the Lord in the circumstances of our lives. Paul tells us here that because He dwells within us, we may rest upon the Holy Spirit to affirm our hope when we pray. We shall not be disappointed—His love covers us.