“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.” Romans 15:13

Resiliency is defined as the ability to cope with whatever life throws at you. When knocked down and out by challenges, those resilient return stronger and more steadfast than ever.

So how exactly do you do that?

One key is the ability to hope when life throws the hard punches.

When circumstances are difficult and beyond our control, it’s easy to lose hope and optimism. That’s why it’s so important that we prep ourselves. So how exactly do we prepare? We cultivate hope.

We do this by growing our faith. Hebrews 11:1, says: “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” This famed portion of Hebrews is often referred to as the faith chapter, as the apostle Paul goes on to share stories about the life and faith of several Old Testament greats.

One of those is Moses. Moses’ life started off quite complicated. He was born in a time when his people, the Hebrews were enslaved by the Egyptians. They were poor, they had no possessions of their own, no rights and endured hard labor and cruel treatment. To make matters worse, the pharaoh at the time of Moses’ birth ruled that all Hebrew children under the age 2 be killed. Moses’ mother took a step of faith, saving his life by hiding him. Eventually she placed him in a basket and sent him down the river as his sister secretly kept a watchful eye. He floated to safety – the arms of Pharaoh’s daughter.

Complications continued for Moses despite a life of luxury in the pharaoh’s palace. He was always torn between two worlds. Moses would eventually choose the narrow path and follow God’s calling.

“By faith Moses, when he was come to years, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter; Choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season; Esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt: for he had respect unto the recompence of the reward.” Hebrews 11:24-26.

Moses answered God’s call to lead the Hebrews out of slavery. He had to face a hard-hearted ruthless pharaoh. Moses had many challenges leading God’s often stubborn and ungrateful people. The punches thrown at Moses were gut-pounding to say the least.

Through all this Moses remained steadfast. He kept His faith in God. He regularly communed with the Lord and built a strong relationship with Him. This increased His faith. This increased his hope. Moses saw a brighter future for his people and himself. He saw a future of freedom, productivity, and a deep closeness to God. He had hope for a better life. He cultivated that hope with faith in God.

As we face challenges and desire to be resilient, we can look to Moses’ example. Let us abound in hope!