“There is nothing, I mean NOTHING, like good theology to take away your fears.” ~ Charles R. Swindoll

Living without hope is like sailing on the open ocean with no wind. It’s hard to get going with nothing driving us toward our destination.

Thankfully, as believers we have a hope that does not leave us adrift: God’s error-free, inspired Word. As we face an increasingly hostile world, not to mention the normal trials of life, there is nothing we need more than hope. And not the kind of false optimism that clings to comfort and material ease, but hope that transcends our earthly limitations and leads us through death’s door to resurrection!

Every new year, many of us hang a new calendar on the wall with no marks except for special holidays pre-printed for convenience. The remaining white space is left to be filled with events that have not yet occurred.

The same is true of the future—we do not know what tomorrow holds. Yet the Word of God encourages us to face that uncertainty with a hope-filled confidence in God’s preordained plan. We call that walking by faith and not sight. The twin ingredient of faith is hope. And that’s no truer than in Paul’s words about the future found in 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18.

Though the word “rapture” never occurs in the Bible, it comes from the phrase in 1 Thessalonians 4:17 translated as “caught up.” And though the rapture hasn’t occurred yet, Paul made clear this significant event could happen at any moment.

Think about how your hope in the rapture can affect your daily life. Look over the verses from 1 Thessalonians 4 to help you frame your response. If you have a journal, consider writing these ideas down.

Say or write a prayer of thanksgiving to God for the hope in the rapture.

“Believers’ Greatest Hope” is from Chuck Swindoll’s series The Greatest Words. You can stream this message online anytime at insightforliving.ca/audiolibrary.