American sociologist Lewis Mumford wrote in his book The Conduct of Life in 1951: "Without food man can survive for barely thirty days; without water for little more than three days; without air hardly for more than three minutes: but without hope he might destroy himself in an even shorter time."
The saying's been taken up and widely used in different forms since then. But its central insight is true: hope is part of what makes us human. Hope keeps us living.
Sometimes hope might seem delusional, if we hope when there's nothing to hope for.
But the Bible says there's always hope, because God is always there. Here are 10 Bible verses that speak of hope that's grounded in faith in a generous and all-powerful God (all NIV).
1. No one who hopes in you will ever be put to shame, but shame will come on those who are treacherous without cause (Psalm 25:3).
2. Yes, my soul, find rest in God; my hope comes from him (Psalm 62:5).
3. Those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint (Isaiah 40:31).
4. Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope: because of the Lord's great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness (Lamentations 3:21-23).
5. Return to your fortress, you prisoners of hope; even now I announce that I will restore twice as much to you (Zechariah 9:12).
6. Hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what they already have? But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently (Romans 8:24-25).
7. For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through the endurance taught in the Scriptures and the encouragement they provide we might have hope (Romans 15:4).
8. The hope of eternal life, which God, who does not lie, promised before the beginning of time (Titus 1:2).
9. We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure (Hebrews 6:19).
10. Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see (Hebrews 11:1).
Follow @RevMarkWoods on Twitter.
