Hebrews 10:23

23 let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering; for he who promised is faithful.

World English Bible, public domain

A balloon on a string is a small picture of hope. It floats above you, light and bright, and it stays only as long as the string stays in your hand. Hebrews 10:23 is about that kind of holding: keeping hope close when your grip feels loose.

The letter to the Hebrews was written to people who were tired. They had believed, suffered for it and started to wonder whether holding on was worth it. The writer does not scold them. Instead they hear an invitation to “hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering” (Hebrews 10:23). Confession here does not mean a list of wrongs. It means the hope you say out loud and keep saying. Then comes a reason that has nothing to do with how strong their hands are: “he who promised is faithful” (Hebrews 10:23). The weight of the verse rests on the one who made the promise, not on the one holding the string.

That can be a relief when you sit down to write. You may not feel hopeful today. Your hold may be more like two fingers than a fist. The verse does not ask you to feel certain. It asks you to keep the string in your hand, and it points past your own grip to someone steadier. Maybe you are still working out whether you trust that someone at all. You can come to this verse simply curious about what holding on might look like, and that is an honest place to begin.

Picture a birthday party winding down. A small child has a red balloon tied around her wrist, and every few minutes she glances up to check that it is still there. She is not squeezing anything. Someone who loves her tied a knot she could not tie herself, and that knot does most of the work. You might think of your own hopes the same way. Some you clutch, some you have let drift off over the rooftops, and some are still with you because of a knot you did not make.

Before you write

Before you choose a prompt, you might draw one balloon in the margin of your page and write a single hope inside it, even a small or shaky one. Then let the prompts below help you look closely at the string. A few honest lines are plenty, and when you want more, the hope prompts are waiting.

Journal prompts

  1. Picture your hopes as balloons on strings. Which one are you holding most tightly right now, and which have you let drift away?

  2. The letter's first readers were weary and tempted to let go. Where in your life does your grip feel tired this season?

  3. Think of a time someone kept their word to you when it would have been easier not to. What did that do to your trust?

  4. Write a short, honest prayer about a hope you are struggling to keep hold of. Tell God exactly how loose your hold feels.

  5. Some days hope feels like a string with nothing tied to the other end. What would you want to be true about whoever, if anyone, is holding it with you?

  6. Who has tied a knot for you, helping you keep a hope you could not hold alone? How might you thank them this week?

  7. Choose one hope you want to carry through the coming days. What is one small thing you could do tomorrow to keep that string in your hand?