English translation of Türkiyeli Hristiyanların Umudu. Originally published in Turkish by Miras. Read the source at Miras. Scripture passages are rendered from the Turkish source.
“Hope is letting go of what we possess and holding on to what God has promised.”
— John Piper, as quoted in the original article
Finding hope in God
One of Scripture’s strongest calls is for Christians to live lives filled with hope. In Romans 15:13, Paul prays that the God of hope would fill believers with joy and peace in believing, so that they might overflow with hope through the power of the Holy Spirit.
Here hope is more than uncertain optimism. It is an expectation built on firm trust in God’s character and promises.
True Christian hope is directly connected to the joy God intends us to find in him. Our hope rests on God himself, rather than earthly blessings. It is alive amid today’s struggles, as well as in our expectation of a future life in heaven.
A small body in Türkiye: thirsting for hope
For the small Christian community in Türkiye, hope is not an abstract idea. Living with pressure, exclusion, and misunderstanding makes it one of the soul’s most real needs. For those who must conceal their identity in daily life, or who experience loneliness because of their faith, hope is more than a wish. It is central to survival and spiritual vitality.
But we must be careful. If we place our hope solely in better circumstances, greater freedom, or social acceptance, disappointment is inevitable. Seeking complete satisfaction in this world draws us away from God. We are a people who walk by faith rather than sight (2 Corinthians 5:7).
For believers in Türkiye, true hope must rest on this truth: God is with us today, and his eternal kingdom is near.
This hope reaches beyond earthly victories. Even if justice is not done, freedom remains incomplete, or our surroundings do not change, we already possess what is most precious: God himself.
Hope and faith: an inseparable bond
Hebrews 11:1 describes faith as confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we cannot see. Faith and hope are intertwined. Without hope, faith would become mechanical obedience. Without faith, hope would be an empty expectation. In Piper’s terms, Christian life is shaped by the conviction that we will find complete satisfaction in God in the future.
Every member of the believing communities in Türkiye must therefore give hope its proper place:
- Hope is not an expectation that Christians in Türkiye will necessarily grow in number or influence. This may happen, but it is not guaranteed.
- Hope is confidence that God is faithful, Christ’s victory is certain, and an eternal inheritance awaits us beyond every suffering.
This hope does not trivialize earthly losses. It helps us understand suffering in the light of truth. We can rejoice even amid pain, because suffering is temporary while hope is eternal.
Nourishing hope
As Christians in Türkiye, we must continually nourish our hope with God’s Word to strengthen our faith. We should remember these practical steps:
- Hold on to Scripture. Hope comes from God’s words, rather than the media or human opinions.
- Live in community. Hope weakens in isolation and grows stronger through fellowship.
- Rest your prayers on God’s promises. Let those promises, rather than present difficulties alone, shape your prayers.
- Remember eternity. Today’s small acts of faithfulness will be met with eternal joy.
The small Christian community growing in Türkiye’s spiritually dry soil is called to live in hope. There is a truth that brings healing even to our deepest wounds and light even to our darkest nights: God is with us, and his victory is certain.
Serving with hope in Türkiye
God’s people have served through hope in every age and place. Ministry is more than a duty; it is an act of faithfulness carried out with a spiritual vision of the future. In a country such as Türkiye, where Christianity is a minority faith and is sometimes met with suspicion and discrimination, serving is both a gift of grace and a profound act of faith.
Ministry in Türkiye does not always receive applause. Often it is unseen; often it is lonely. But ministry grounded in hope is work done for faithfulness rather than recognition. In God’s kingdom, such labor is never in vain (1 Corinthians 15:58).
Looking at small beginnings with hope
Zechariah 4:10 asks who has despised the day of small things. This verse has special significance for believers in Türkiye because so much ministry appears small: a Christian magazine with few readers, a home gathering praying in a neighborhood, a Bible left on a street or in a bookshop.
Yet we know that God grows great trees from small seeds (Matthew 13:31–32). Serving with hope means continuing to sow while trusting God’s timing, rather than demanding immediate results.
Surrender in ministry
Serving in Türkiye sometimes requires resilience. But this is spiritual surrender rather than political resistance. Ministry grounded in hope responds to hatred with love and to indifference with patience.
This is not easy. Yet God cares more about our character than our comfort, and character is formed in the fire (1 Peter 1:6–7). Every believer serving in Türkiye should carry this conviction: the Lord sees and knows; his time will come.
Deep roots, reaching branches
Those who serve with hope may look small, yet they have deep roots. Hope nourishes us with God’s Word rather than earthly success. Ministry fed by those roots bears fruit in time, perhaps not in this world, but certainly before the Lord.
For the Christian community in Türkiye, hopeful service is therefore a hymn rather than a protest: a quiet hymn rising toward heaven. God is faithful, and he will fulfill what he has promised (Hebrews 10:23).