Hope For Today

Ken Andrews • February 1, 2022

...and tomorrow

 

“…now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.”

(I Corinthians 13:13/NIV)

 

The Apostle Paul’s “dissertation” on love in 1 Corinthians 13 is a most articulate and insightful look into God’s love for us. Love completely, unselfishly and with a heart for others. As he wrapped up the chapter, he succinctly stated the threefold foundation for our walk in Christ. Faith, hope and love.

 

There’s no doubt, love reigns supreme, as love reflects the very essence of who God is: “…God is love.” (1 John 4:8/NIV)

 

And the Scripture clearly presents the economy of faith – faith in God and His risen Son. The author of Hebrews exhorts us to “…draw near to God with a sincere heart and with the full assurance of faith…” (Hebrews 10:22/NIV)

 

Interestingly, faith is mentioned with a key component: “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” (Hebrews 11:1/KJV) (I’ve always loved the way the King James Version expressed that.)

 

Hope. It’s a word that for many years has fascinated me. And, in fact, it is a part of the “Big Three” that remain, though it seems to have taken a back seat the other two. So, years ago I embarked on a study of hope. I wrote articles on it, taught it in Bible Studies and presented it from pulpits. I was naïve enough to think I had it down pretty well. So I thought…

 

I recently went back to hope as a “new” study. I learned so much – it was humbling to see how much I had missed. But it was worth the exercise of revisiting the “third leg” in this Biblical foundation. So, bear with me!

 

The best definition of hope I’ve ever heard came from the late, distinguished Bible Teacher, Warren Wiersbe. He defined hope as “desire with confident expectation of fulfillment.” We’re not talking about “wishing.” We don’t have a “confident expectation” of winning the lottery. The odds are astronomical. It’s exceedingly unlikely to happen – and more likely a “wish” than a “hope.”

 

The Bible stresses where we place our hope. Simply put…our hope is in God. Our expectations are fulfilled in Him. Despite what godly Job endured, he could still say “…yet will I hope in Him.” (Job 13:15/NIV) And, back to Hebrews, from 6:10: “We have this hope as an anchor for the souls, firm and secure.” We can be absolutely confident in in this expectation called hope.

 

 

 

A little word study from the Hebrew and Greek helps…and I needed the help. Strong’s Concordance generally provides the Old Testament definition of hope as expectancy, trusting, waiting, longing for – and even - patient! The Greek from the New Testament speaks to confidence, expectation and even anticipation with pleasure. Dr. Wiersbe was right on, all along!

 

While all that may seem self-evident, I really had not deeply explored the issue of hope as it correlates to waiting and patience. (I’ve always wanted patience, just not the waiting or the process necessary to get it.) But how valuable to discover the blessings of hope as we wait on God “who works in you to will and to act according to His good purpose.” (Philippians 2:13/NIV)

 

We are living, as the Apostle Paul told us, in perilous times. We long for Christ’s return. Soon. VERY soon. All the while, we know He will come, in HIS time. In the meantime, we wait, in hope. God’s Word gives us the encouragement and instruction to do that.

 

These are frustrating, challenging times…even anxious times. The whole world is on a slippery slope. Perhaps as never before, believers are hopefully– and - anxiously awaiting Christ’s return. King David may have had some anxious thoughts when he penned Psalm 40, where he said: “I waited patiently for the LORD; He turned to me and heard my cry.” The result? David says God lifted him out of a slimy pit and “set my feet upon a rock and gave me a firm place to stand.” Psalm 40:1-2/NIV)

 

Similarly, Paul addressed waiting, patience and hope in Romans Chapter 8. He wrote: “Hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes or what he already has?” (vs. 24/NIV) Great question! If I already have something desired, I’ll not be hoping to get it. I’ll likely have moved on to something else I hope for – but don’t yet have. Paul brings us to the conclusion of the matter in verse 25: “But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently.”

 

That’s hard for me. How about you? Let me leave you with encouragement – even hope – from that lament from the Prophet Jeremiah. He knew about fearful times and hope.

 

“…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.
I say to myself, “The Lord is my portion;
     therefore I will wait for him.”

The Lord is good to those whose hope is in him,
     to the one who seeks him;
it is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord.” (Lamentations 3:21-16/NIV)

 

Blessings,

 

Ken Andrews

VP United Ministries/KJOL

Michael W. Smith's new studio album

By Kurt Neuswanger • October 30, 2025
Michael W. Smith is getting ready to release his first new studio album since 2018. Smith says “This whole record starts out with a bang... I don’t think I’ve had this many upbeat songs on any record that I’ve ever done. Those are really sort of hard to write.” But Michael says it’s not all “pop stuff.” I have a song about communion. I don’t think we have enough communion songs. And there’s a couple worship moments that are pretty powerful, too. The first three singles may remind you of his earlier sound from the 1990s, which some of us consider a good thing! The first single, “ Arms Around The World ,” features Jesus on the drums! Well, it’s Jonathan Roumie, to be precise, the actor who plays Jesus in “The Chosen” series! Michael says his “musical hero” is movie composer John Williams . I went and saw Raiders Of The Lost Ark 28 times in 1981 and it changed my life. I went “Why do I keep coming back?” And it was the music. That was the year I began to write cinematic music. That cinematic flare is included in his second single, “ Your Love Is A Flood ,” which has a 30-second counter-melody that sounds like it could be from “Jurassic Park.” That same cinema sound also opens his third single is “ Kingdom Come ,” which Michael says is his personal prayer . This one is so close to my heart, born out of the prayer I’ve prayed daily: ‘Your kingdom come, Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.’ It’s a bold anthem of hope, healing, and God’s presence breaking into our lives. Michael told the Christian Post : My identity is not being Michael W. Smith the artist. The things that are near and dear and more important to me are, first and foremost, my relationship with Lord. Then my family, my wife, my kids, my grandkids, my friends that I walk through life with. Your craft can't be your identity. If it is, it will consume you, and not in a good way. At the end of November, Smith will join Amy Grant and CeCe Winans for a nine city tour, followed by his Christmas tour in December with special guest Riley Clemmons. But unlike Laura Story (who will be in Grand Junction for a free Christmas concert, courtesy of KJOL), you’ll have to go to Florida to catch Michael’s Christmas tour .

Forrest Frank skips Dove Awards

By Kurt Neuswanger • October 9, 2025
Forrest Frank has been everywhere this year. He even broke his back and wrote a song about it ( God's Got My Back ) while lying on his back! But one place Forrest Frank won't be this year is the Dove Awards . He announced that he will no longer attend any of the awards shows, including the Doves and the Grammys. “As Christians, it’s hard to know where the line in the sand is between being in the world and not of the world,” he said . Pondering where to draw the line between being in the world but not of the world, he said, “I’m convicted, personally, that a line that I can draw is that I will not receive a trophy for something that is from Jesus and for Jesus.” Frank added, “I was wrestling with this last year. I even said that on stage at the Dove Awards. I said, ‘I’m still struggling with the concept of receiving this award, but all glory to Jesus, every name will fade away, including mine, except for one name.’” So he decided "to go even a step further and say, ‘I don’t know if I even want to step on the stage. I don’t know if I want to step in the room.’ So I will not be attending the Doves and the Grammys.” “I hope to be an example to the youth that the trophy is our salvation ,” he added. “The trophy is that my name is listed in the Book of Life and I get to have eternal life . What good is a piece of metal going to do compared to that?” His absence at the Dove awards will no doubt be a problem for them. He’s nominated for four major awards: Song of the Year (Composer): Good Day Recorded Song of the Year: Your Way's Better Album of the Year: Child Of God Artist of the Year He is almost certain to win at least one of those awards. UPDATE : The Dove ceremony was broadcast Friday, October 10. Forrest Frank won three major awards! Artist of the Year Album of the Year (Child of God) Recorded Song of the Year (Your Way's Better)

Laura Story In Concert!

By Dave Andrews • October 6, 2025
We are so blessed to have a number of new listeners lately; and we are blessed to have some listeners who have been with us since the very start! If you were a listener during “the old days” before the KJOL radio network was sold...

Laura Story, Chris Tomlin, and a Tennessee mountain

By Kurt Neuswanger • September 29, 2025
Laura Story never set out to be a songwriter . She didn’t even know she could sing until she was in college. In 1996, while a student at Columbia International University in South Carolina, she met Shane Williams from the band “Silers Bald.” (Silers Bald is a mountain peak in Tennessee. It’s called a “bald” because it is not covered in trees.) Shane recruited Laura to join the band – as the band’s bass player! Then she began writing songs, and in 2002, she recorded her first album, Indescribable . But it was Chris Tomlin who made the song “ Indescribable ” a huge hit when he recorded it in 2004. Laura remained largely unknown until she released Great God Who Saves in 2008. Besides the title track, it included “ Mighty to Save ,” “ Bless The Lord ” and “ Immortal Invisible .” In 2011, she released the album “ Blessings .” The title song was born out of the difficult circumstances surrounding her husband Martin’s brain tumor (a story for another time). “Blessings” won a Grammy and a Dove for Best Contemporary Song. Most recently, Laura Story joined the Keith & Kristyn Getty Worship Conference, where she performed her latest song, “ Psalm 27 (The Lord Is My Light) ”.

Station Update

By Dave Andrews • September 2, 2025
Our August drawing is of course over, but congratulations to our three winners of couples registrations to the Weekend To Remember Conferences. If you missed out, I want to let you know, that underway through September 15th, the Family Life Today Weekend to Remember Getaways are half off…so be sure to use the group nam

Big Daddy Weave says "Let It Begin"

By Kurt Neuswanger • August 29, 2025
Big Daddy Weave released their new album “Let It Begin” in May. It was their first album in six years. There’s a reason for that. Most bands release new albums every two or three years, but on January 2, 2022, Jay Weaver died from COVID. He was Mike Weaver’s younger brother (hence the “Weave” in the band’s name). They spent the next three years processing the loss and putting their grief into song. In 2023, they released the duet with Katy Nichole, “ God Is In This Story .” God is in this story, God is in the details Even in the broken parts, He holds my heart, He never fails Later that year, Big Daddy Weave released “ Heaven Changes Everything .” In the light of eternity I have this hope Thank You, Jesus, Heaven changes everything In 2024, they released “ Let It Begin .” Mike Weaver said he had been intensely grieving the death of his brother and would cry every time he told the story on stage, until one night the healing began. Meanwhile, Matt Maher had written this song without knowing that Weaver's healing that had started. Mike remembered, “He reached out to me and was just like, ‘Man, I’ve had this song that has been on my heart for you guys.’ I read the lyrics, and it’s what I couldn’t say.” If my wounds could tell one story, Let it be a testimony That You don’t leave me where I’ve been. If this is healing, let it begin Their new single is “ I’ve Just Seen Too Much .” Listen for it on KJOL. Some days it feels like I’ve been losing more than I have found I won’t tell you that I’ve got it all together, If you know me, then You know my faith has wavered If you ask me why I trust Him When it feels like everything has come undone All I can tell you is, I’ve just seen too much
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