Upon reading the title, I know what you are thinking. How can there be HOPE in never? HOPE must be off her rocker! More often than not, the word never (“not ever”) is associated with feelings of failure and despair, fear and hopelessness. Negative thoughts usually revolve around the word never: I will never pass this class. I will never be good enough. I will never achieve my goals… you get the picture. Yes, when we focus on the things of this world… where the word never has a stronghold on our thoughts… this word will, indeed, be associated with hopelessness and despair, failure and fear.
As Christians, we know we are in the world but not of the world. When we shift our focus from looking down to looking up, we change our vision and perspective on ALL things… including our perspective of the word never. The world’s norms and nomenclature never (pun intended!) apply to our eternal focus. When God’s Word becomes our compass, we see the world and all that it encompasses through an eternal lens.
During my never research, I discovered the Bible contains upwards of 70 verses that include the word never. That’s a whole bunch of never to cling to… and a whole bunch of HOPE to hold close to your heart. Here are just a few never verses… packed with HOPE power:
Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; He will never leave you or forsake you. Deuteronomy 13:6
The faithful love of the Lord never ends! His mercies never cease. Great is His faithfulness; His mercies begin afresh each morning. Lamentations 3:22-23
Cast your cares on the LORD and He will sustain you; He will never let the righteous be shaken. Psalm 55:22
Truly He is my rock and my salvation; He is my fortress, I will never be shaken. Psalm 62:2
But blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in Him. They will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit. Jeremiah 17:7-8
Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away. Matthew 24:25
Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty. John 6:35
When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” John 8:12
Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.” Hebrews 13:5
Never again will they hunger; never again will they thirst. The sun will not beat down on them, nor any scorching heat. For the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd; He will lead them to springs of living water. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes. Revelation 7:16-17
These verses pack a ton of HOPE in never! God will never leave us. The Father’s love will never end. His mercies will never cease and His words will never pass away. God will never let the righteous be shaken. God’s people will never fail to be fruitful… we will never hunger or thirst. We will never walk in darkness. Umm… that’s a Holy Host of HOPE wrapped up in the word never!
It is my HOPE that your thoughts on the word never will shift from a negative (and worldly) connotation to a HOPE inspired eternal message.Yes, a message of HOPE from our Father who loves us so much He sent His son, Jesus, to die for us so we can live forever with Him.We are beyond blessed by our Father who offers us a message of Heavenly HOPE in a small word that spurs different responses depending on our focus… the choice is ours to look up or down.May your life be filled with “not evers” that are associated with divine nevers of HOPE.