Hope in Real Life

"First Peter 3:6b shows us what hope looks like in the stresses and threats of real life. 'And you are now her children if you do right and let nothing terrify you.' The presence of hope drives out fear. The daughters of Sarah do not fear anything but displeasing God. Or to be more accurate, the daughters of Sarah fight the anxiety that rises in their hearts. They wage war on fear, and they defeat it with the promises of God.... They fight fear with the faithfulness of God—'Sarah considered him faithful who had promised' (Hebrews 11:11). And then they do what Peter says in 4:19, 'Therefore let those who suffer according to God's will do right and entrust their souls to a faithful Creator.' They affirm the sovereign rule of God over their suffering and that they do not suffer apart from his will, and they rest their souls in the firm and omnipotent hands of a faithful Creator. They cast out fear and they hope in God. And so they prove to be the daughters of Sarah and heirs according to the promise."

--John Piper, Mothers Day Message (May 1986).