What is hope? We hear this word constantly flitted around in our circles and through the media and church.
Hope that such and such happens. Hope for better results. Hope for quick recovery, etc, etc. We hear it all over, but what does it actually mean? What is it?
Webster’s defines hope as the following:
- to cherish or desire with anticipation
- to want something to happen
- to expect with confidence
- desire accompanied by expectation of or belief in fulfillment
- someone hope is centered on
So out of curiosity, I posed the question out to my social media page and to some friends and asked what they felt hope was. How would they define it.
I got answers like faith, peace, the expectation that things will happen. I got one answer that was the bell that rings after radiation treatment and then another person commented that they felt it was like living in a dream world, not reality. It can be a pipe dream unless we actually do something to make our hope a reality. They also quoted Shawshank Redemption – which admittedly, I have only seen maybe twice – where Red states, “Hope is a dangerous thing.”
This whole comment made me pause. Hope shouldn’t be a pipe dream, but I understand where they are coming from. You can’t hope for things to happen without doing anything. I also agree that hope can be “dangerous.” Because when you have that hope, that expectation with confidence, you can bring about change. You can encourage and rally people behind you. You can bring a difference in the world.
In the movie, Hunger Games, the antagonist makes a powerful statement.
Hope – it is stronger than fear. A little hope is effective. A lot of hope is dangerous.
The devil and the world want to squash out any hope that we have within us. The world is dark and many things are happening right now that are not of God. He wants us to be discouraged, downcast. He wants us to give up. To claim defeat. To lose hope.
But that is not what we are called to do. That is not what Christ died for. He died to fill us with hope.
For I know the thoughts I think towards you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you future and a hope.
Jeremiah 29:11 NKJ
So where are you putting your hope?
Why am I so discouraged? Why is my heart so sad? I will put my hope in God. I will praise Him again – my Savior and my God!
Psalm 42:11 NLT
Even in the midst of the storm, we can have that hope, that Godfidence, that no matter what, we can put our trust and our hope in Him who saves us. We can expect with that confidence that God has us. He has a plan and He has us.
We also can’t put God in a box, thinking we know best. That wouldn’t make Him God then! Even if things do not happen the way we expect, we need to remember that through it all, God has got us and He has something amazing in store that we may never see.
My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts, says the Lord. And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine.
Isaiah 55:8 NLT
It’s in Christ that we find out who we are and what we are living for. Long before we first heard of Christ and got our hopes up, He had His eye on us, had designs on us for a glorious living, part of the overall purpose He is working out in everything and everyone.
Ephesians 1:11-12MSG
Let’s never lose sight of the hope that Christ can give. Billy Graham gave an excellent quote on hope that I want to share.
Let us be faithful in proclaiming the hope that is in Jesus. Sometimes hope feels elusive, ethereal or small. But no matter how small even a tiny bit of hope is powerful and persistent. Even when we think we don’t want it. Even when we dismiss it or despair, it sings to us reminding us that wherever we are, whatever we are going through, no matter how hard or how dark it seems ALL IS NOT LOST. This is not the end. And we are NOT alone. We have a mighty Savior that promises He will fight for us, protect us, and defend us. He Himself will bring us through the stormy night to the dawn of a glorious day.
Billy Graham
We need to have a hope that is dangerous. Hope that spreads like wildfire. Hope that will send Satan scampering like the coward that he is.
We need to have the confident expectation when we call out what we are hoping for.
When we say “I hope so” – have confidence behind our statement. Have it be a sure certainty that we trust what we are hoping to come to pass will come to pass and even if it doesn’t we are trusting that the God of the universe has a better plan than we do.
I’ll end with this simple definition of hope. The Biblical definition that I hope will instill within us the Godfidence hope that we need to light a fire and bring peace to those around us.
Hope is the confident expectation, the sure certainty that what God has promised in the Word is TRUE and has occurred or will in accordance with God’s sure word. In the Bible, hope is never static or a passive thing. It is dynamic, active, directive and life-sustaining!
angelaschmeling 