Oftentimes, we use the word hope to mean wishful thinking. We “hope” it doesn’t rain tomorrow or “hope” that we win some prize. But ultimately, we have no promise that those things will happen. We just really, really want them to, so we cross our fingers and “hope” for the best.
The hope that is used in the scriptures, however, is different. Hope is an assurance in good things to come. It’s the kind of hope that you have in a sunrise, knowing that the very laws of nature dictate that the sun will be there in the morning. Period.
Where can we find that source of ultimate hope? In Jesus Christ.
“Christ being … an high priest of good things to come.”
Hebrews 9:11
The scriptures teach that Jesus “will be the hope of his people,” “which hope we have as an anchor of the soul” (Joel 3:16; Hebrews 6:19). Because God is perfect, He cannot lie. And because He cannot lie, we know without a doubt that His promises will be fulfilled.
When we have hope in Jesus Christ and His atonement, we can have a sure belief that our sins will be forgiven, our pains eventually healed, and that we and our loved ones can live together forever.
Jesus Christ is the Hope of Israel. He is our living promise that, in the end, everything will be made right.
Thoughts about Jesus Christ—our Advocate, our Savior, and our Friend.
Questions To Ponder On
What does it mean that Jesus is our Advocate?
Jesus Christ is described as the “Advocate with the Father”—someone who pleads our cause before God and fights for us out of perfect love. It means that He, being the only perfect person, puts His own reputation on the line to publicly fight for us, showing that we are worth defending despite our imperfections.
What can we learn about love from Jesus being our Advocate?
His advocacy is a pure expression of love—if the God of the Universe can love us that much, we can take a little time to love ourselves, too.
What about Jesus’s nature allows Him to be our Advocate?
The scriptures quote Jesus as saying, “Father, behold the sufferings and death of him who did no sin… spare these my brethren that believe on my name, that they may come unto me and have everlasting life.” Because He “did no sin,” Jesus Christ is able to intercede for us.
Thoughts about Jesus Christ—our Advocate, our Savior, and our Friend.
Questions To Ponder On
What is the difference between everyday hope and the hope described in the scriptures?
Oftentimes, we use the word hope to mean wishful thinking—like hoping it doesn’t rain or hoping to win a prize. But scriptural hope is different. It is an assurance in good things to come, like the certainty of a sunrise, knowing the very laws of nature guarantee it.
Where can we find the source of true, lasting hope?
We find that source of ultimate hope in Jesus Christ. As the scriptures say, He is “an high priest of good things to come.” Jesus Christ is the Hope of Israel. He is our living promise that, in the end, everything will be made right.
Why can we trust in the hope that comes through Jesus Christ?
Because God is perfect, He cannot lie. And because He cannot lie, we know without a doubt that His promises will be fulfilled.
What does hope in Jesus Christ and His atonement offer us?
When we have hope in Jesus Christ and His atonement, we can have a sure belief that our sins will be forgiven, our pains eventually healed, and that we and our loved ones can live together forever.
Our Advocate 
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