The statement that “love always hopes” comes from 1 Corinthians 13:7, which is part of the well-known “love chapter” where the apostle Paul describes the characteristics of true, godly love. This verse teaches us that one key aspect of love is that it “always hopes.” But what exactly does this mean?
At its core, to hope means to expect and desire something good in the future. Biblical hope is closely tied to faith – it’s a confident expectation in God’s promises and faithfulness (Hebrews 11:1). So when Paul says that love “always hopes,” he’s saying that love always maintains an attitude of hope and optimism, rather than fear, doubt or despair. Love actively looks for and expects the best in people and situations, rather than assuming the worst.
There are several important implications of the fact that love “always hopes”:
- Love hopes for the best in people. It believes that with God’s help, others can grow and change for the better. Even when someone has hurt us repeatedly, love compels us to hope that they will repent and improve by God’s grace.
- Love hopes for the best in difficult circumstances. When facing trials, love doesn’t assume defeat but maintains hope in God’s purpose and sovereignty. It knows that He can work all things for the good of those who love Him (Romans 8:28).
- Love hopes for changed lives. It maintains an optimistic desire to see lost people come to salvation in Jesus Christ. Love prays expectantly for people’s redemption and deliverance.
- Love hopes in God’s promises. It rests confidently on the sure hope of eternal life, the resurrection of the dead, and the new heavens and new earth. Love doesn’t lose heart but anchors itself on the hope laid up for us in heaven (Colossians 1:5).
- Love hopes for Christ’s return. It eagerly anticipates and desires to see Jesus come back to make all things right, judge evil, and usher in God’s perfect kingdom. Love cries out, “Maranatha – Come, Lord Jesus!” (Revelation 22:20).
In summary, for love to “always hope” means that it maintains an attitude of optimism and eager expectation, rather than fear or despair. Love actively looks for the best in every person and situation, believing that with God all things are possible. This hope is based on God’s character and promises, not wishful thinking.
However, we must also note that biblical hope is not naive. Love doesn’t assume the best while turning a blind eye to sin, compromise or danger. Rather, love pairs hope with wisdom and discernment. It recognizes the fallenness of the world, while living in light of redemption through Christ. As 1 Peter 3:15 says, we are to “always [be] prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you.”
For example, Jesus perfectly embodied love hoping for the best when He spoke hope and truth to the woman caught in adultery (John 8:1-11). He showed love by standing up for her against those wanting to stone her. But He didn’t pretend she hadn’t sinned – He told her to “go, and from now on sin no more.” Jesus hoped for her repentance and offered redemption. Yet He did so without compromising holiness or winking at sin.
We follow Jesus’ pattern when our hoping is grounded in God’s Word and combines grace and truth. We can have unwavering confidence that God is able to change lives and circumstances without excusing wrong actions. Additionally, our hope is not passive wishful thinking, but inspires us to actively pursue Christlike living and spread the gospel message that can transform hearts.
Living with a spirit of hope also blesses our own souls. Hope lifts our gaze from current troubles to the certainty of God’s final victory. This hope strengthens and encourages us to press on, rather than giving up when life is hard (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18). It provides stability in a shaky world and helps anchor our minds on eternity.
Of course, maintaining an attitude of hope is not always easy or natural for us. Our hope can be weakened through grief, unanswered prayers, prolonged waiting, deep hurts from others, sin patterns that won’t go away, and more. So how can we fight despair and strengthen hope when our hearts feel like giving up?
Here are some practical strategies:
- Regularly read, sing and meditate on Bible passages about hope. God’s Word nourishes hope in our hearts (Romans 15:4). Some key passages include: Psalm 42:5, Psalm 62:5-8, Lamentations 3:21-24, Romans 5:1-5, Romans 8:18-25, Romans 15:13, 2 Corinthians 4:16-18, Galatians 6:9, Colossians 1:27, Hebrews 6:17-20, 1 Peter 1:3-9.
- Memorize inspirational quotes and verses on hope. Meditate and speak these out loud to strengthen your spirit when discouraged.
- Express gratitude to God. Thanking God for His past blessings and faithfulness builds optimism about His plans for our future.
- Spend time with hopeful people. Their attitude of joy and perseverance can be contagious.
- Take one day at a time. Don’t get overwhelmed projecting too far into the future. Anchor on hope for just this one day.
- Celebrate every little victory. Don’t downplay progress; rejoice in each step forward.
- Adjust perspectives with prayer. Ask God to show where your perspective may be clouded by hurt, lies, or doubt rather than truth and hope.
- Help others. Serving others gets our eyes off ourselves and lifts our spirits.
- Trust God’s timing. Impatience and frustration creep in when we insist on our own timelines. Release expectations about when/how God “should” work.
- Look to heroes of faith. Be inspired by biblical and historical figures who persevered through immense adversity while clinging to hope.
- Envision what could be. With God’s help, picture the hopeful future He may be leading you towards.
In summary, the statement that “love always hopes” powerfully reminds us that biblical love refuses to stop believing the best. Grounded in God’s character and promises, it confidently looks ahead to future redemption and change. This hope helps anchor our souls amid the ups and downs of life. And it motivates us to actively extend grace and truth to others as tools God can use to write beautiful stories of transformation.
