Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God.

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

But as for me, I watch in hope for the Lord, I wait for God my Savior; my God will hear me.

May your unfailing love be with us, Lord, even as we put our hope in you.

Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope.

And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.

But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently.

For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through the endurance taught in the Scriptures and the encouragement they provide we might have hope.

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.