“I hope gas prices fall.”
“I hope we have a lot of snow this winter.”
These are common ways we use the word hope when we look forward to something with expectation and desire; or when used as a person or thing in which expectations are centered: “The medicine was her last hope.”
When differentiating something from certainty, hope is often used as “wishful thinking.” When we say, “I hope it happens,” we’re really saying “I don’t know what’s going to happen, but I’m desiring that ‘such and such’ happens.”
From the Greek, hope in the Bible is “the confident expectation of something in the future.” It is not wishful thinking as in “I don’t know if it’s going to happen, but I hope it happens.”
Rather, biblical hope is when God promises something, and you put your faith and trust in that promise, even though you can’t presently see the outcome.
Biblical hope is not positive thinking or being optimistic. While optimists consider circumstances and find the positive, those with godly hope ignore signals from circumstances. Rather, their hope is firmly fixed on the promises of God. They expect with full certainty, leaving no room for doubt.
Hope is a part of faith. Hope is faith in the future tense.
Is not much of faith hopeful expectation?
Faith is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen; it gives us assurance about things we cannot see. (Hebrews 11:1)
If our future is not firmly rooted in the things of God through faith, it’s easy to remain anxious and fearful throughout life. Many people are. However, we don’t need to have “blind faith.” As you read through the Bible, you see that God has a track record of faithfulness. He is trustworthy.
God is not a man, so he does not lie. He is not human, so he does not change his mind. Has he ever spoken and failed to act? Has he ever promised and not carried it through? (Numbers 23:19)
What He promises, He performs. He promised the Messiah would come, and He did. He tells us Christ will come again, and He will.
While optimists think they or others can, those with biblical hope know God will.
Biblical hope also gets us away from “me” land, and allows us to love others more freely.
Without a trust that God has a hand on our lives, isn’t it way too easy to think mostly about ourselves? Our future, our problems, our stuff. When dominating our thinking, these thoughts tend to keep us from loving others as God says we should.
But if we allow ourselves to be taken care of by God, through hope, trust, and faith in His promises, we can then be free in our hearts to love others.
God can carry out His purposes through us.
When Christ satisfies our souls so deeply that we’re free to love other people, we demonstrate His love—His hope—to the world, and God is glorified.
In hope we fulfill our reason for living!
Copyright © 2014 Cheryl Elton
Highly descriptive blog, I loved that a lot. Will there be a part 3?
Yes, Part 3 is up. Thanks!
Hope is a part of faith. Hope is faith in the future tense. I loved this. I have not seen the link between ‘hope’ and ‘faith’ like this before. It makes hope a sure thing….it reminds me of Jesus being our ‘living hope’. How can He fail? He can’t. He already won. May we have patience as we wait for the expectation of hope fulfilled; as we know hope deferred makes the heart sick. I will look at hope differently. I will see it mixed with faith. The victory already secured.
Amen, Barbara! Thanks for sharing your insights.