Are you prepared? Do you have an answer if someone asks? Will you be able to explain why you have hope? Do you have an explanation within your own mind? Have you ever really thought about why you have hope?
We prepare answers for many questions as we go about our lives. Sometimes we are given days or even weeks to provide a written answer. At other times the questions come unexpectedly, and we are required to answer on the spot. Those are the questions that often stump us.
Peter gives us the admonition to always be prepared to answer the question concerning our hope. Our hope is spending eternity in heaven. Our hope is based on the love God has for us. Our hope is built on our trust that God will always be there for us. Our trust in God comes through our experience and knowledge of Him.
It is no wonder that when we are a young child, we will quickly repeat what we learned in Sunday School. As a child we trust adults implicitly. We trust our parents to provide for us. We trust our teachers are teaching us truth.
As we grow into adolescence and young adulthood, we start thinking more critically. We start thinking for ourselves. We start questioning what we are taught. It doesn’t mean what we are taught is any less true, it simply means our brains are maturing and we question what we are taught.
As we get older, having a plethora of experiences, our thinking continues to mature. Our capability to discern truth increases, providing we continue to seek it. Understanding the truth of God and where our hope comes from makes it easy for us to answer when asked why we have hope.
We need the hope of Christ in our lives. Without that hope we are left wondering aimlessly in this life, often following the worlds desires, chasing false dreams. When we know where our hope comes from deep within our hearts, we still chase dreams, but with an understanding that we have been guaranteed an inheritance far greater than anything on this earth (Ephesians 1:13-14).
I pray each one of us has the hope of Christ deep within us. I pray we are all prepared to give an answer when asked why we have hope. I pray that we continue to seek after God, walking in step with His instruction, and continuing in our hope. Know God. Trust God. Know you have an eternal inheritance. Be prepared to give an answer. Be a witness for Christ.
1 Peter 3:15-16 But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander.
Marty Pressey 