Hope, a word that we are all too familiar with — one that we use in our day to day lives. But do you ever pause and ask yourself what this really means? or where it comes from?
Allow me to refresh your memory by answering the following question: what is hope?
A dictionary definition of it puts it as such:
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Hope means to wish or want something to happen or be true - The Oxford Dictionary.
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Another source tells us that it is the feeling that what is wanted can be had or that events will turn out for the best. - Dictionary.com.
Even though I might not know you personally, I do know this: that we are all hoping for something in our lives: be it good grades (exam season is fast approaching), to be successful, for a future spouse, wealth, for a great career, a comfortable life… and something that I know is constantly being hoped for here in Belgium where I live is good weather.
The fact is that we cannot help but hope because God has made us hopeful beings. It is in itself a characteristic of man and also in a sense proof that we are alive. Indeed what keeps people going amid all the suffering, the troubles, and disappointments that are happening all throughout the world? It is hope: hope for a better life, hope for change, hope suffering to end. Without hope life itself loses its meaning and sweetness and we are in a sense as good as dead.
This is all to tell you that hope is so foundational for all who are living.
However, with that said, according to its human definition, there is always a measure of uncertainty and doubt coupled with what the world calls “hope”, which is known to be a feeling based on probability and wishful thinking that things might somehow work themselves out for the best.
There is no solid basis for this kind of thinking you see.
As I have already mentioned, we all have hopes and dreams, and you see it is not wrong to hope for such things: it is not wrong to want a partner, or a good job, or to be wealthy. But the problem comes in when we start not only to hope for them, but when we place our hope in them — lemme tell you what I mean: When we start building our lives around such things or making them our lives’ goal or seeking from them meaning and purpose. You see:
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Wealth can’t solve all our problems and will eventually be depleted.
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That future career that you have in mind might not live up to your expectations.
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And that ideal spouse that you dream about? I am sorry to break it to you, but he or she is just as imperfect as you are.
These things though being good in themselves, are not a solid or firm foundation — they are like sand, and if we build our lives upon them, sooner or later they will fall apart (the analogy of rock and sand in Matthew 7).
So in the light of all these that have been said: Is there any real basis for hope? Can hope be certain?
My goal for writing this article is to point you to the Source of all genuine hope, in order to answer the questions where does the Christian hope come from? and why do we and can we keep on hoping?
Biblical hope (What does the Bible have to say about it?)
The Bible gives us a totally different view on the subject as it defines hope as a sure and confident expectation…and if it is a sure and confident expectation, then it is not something that is based on chance, luck or probability, rather Biblical Hope is based on a Person and that Person is God. You see as believers, we do not simply hope for something or for a certain outcome; we hope in Someone.
Paul says in Romans 15:13 that: “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”
God is the God of hope, the One on whom hope ultimately depends. He is its sure foundation and He gives it certainty.
Therefore Hope is a confident expectation that is grounded in the character and the nature of God — making Him the source of hope.
And because our hope comes from God Himself, it is not something that can be affected by our current circumstances or situation
That is why such a hope is referred in the Bible as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure… (see Hebrews 6:19a) one that is able to keep us stable amidst all the waves and winds of life’s challenges and problems.
Now If God is the source of hope, then the question becomes: What is it about God that makes Him worthy of our hope? Or why should I put my hope in Him? — Because of His character.
Hope in God’s character
You see God has revealed what He is like to us in many ways, most clearly through His Son and through His Word. Because of this believers from every generation have been able to look into these characteristics of God and to find in them joy, comfort and hope, which in turn helped them to persevere through various trials.
In this text, I only want to point out only three of them that I often remind myself of as I go through the different phases of life.
The reason why we can put our hope in God is because:
1. He is Sovereign
Now I don’t know if you follow the news even a little, but even if you don’t (good for you), you will still agree with me that the world is in chaos, you might even be in a rather “chaotic” stage of your life at the moment. Turn your favourite news channel on (or any one) and you’ll see that things seem to keep getting worse and out of control day by day.
However, God’s Sovereignty assures us that no matter what happens around the world or in our lives, God remains is in absolute control and that He is able to use even the worst situations in your life for your good. (Romans 8:28)
He also says in Jeremiah 29:11 For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.
This does not mean life will always be easy or that everything will happen the way we want. But it does mean God’s purposes for His people are good and trustworthy. And these plans which are good, cannot be altered nor disturbed no matter what happens — Your future is secure in Him.
So if you are like me and you don’t see any clear direction to your life at the moment, rest assured in the knowledge that your life is under His careful guidance because He is Sovereign.
2. His unfailingly love.
This has been a theme in the Old Testament that the people could remind themselves of and find comfort in. Now we ourselves have experienced this great love that was perfectly displayed in the finished work of Christ Jesus on the cross — where He died for our sins, taking upon Himself the just punishment that we all deserve.
In fact this is the theme of the Bible, the fact that God so loved and loves that He gave, and keeps on giving.
You see I have always found it so wonderful that God, though being so big and so mighty and so powerful… Though being so great that He created the heavens and the earth with the words of His mouth! That at the same time, He loves and cares so deeply for us, even for the small details in our lives — indeed He knows your name.
A love that does not depend on who you are or on your performance. A loves that doesn’t change during the highest or lowest points of your life, a love that is never gonna give you up nor will it ever forsake you, a love that is eternal and personal.
You see the assurance of God’s love for us, demonstrated supremely through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross, provides a profound basis for hope: people will fail you, friends may fail you or lose interest in you, loved ones may turn away from you, in fact the whole world might turn its back on you, but God will receive you with open arms because He loves you.
Paul tells us in Romans 8:38-39 that nothing can ever separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. This is where our security and confidence lies as believers and we can always find hope and comfort when we remember just how loved we are.
3. God is faithful
The faithfulness of God means God is unchanging in His nature, true to His Word, has made promises to us, and will definitely keep them no matter what.
First of all, let’s look at the fact that God never changes. The Bible says in Hebrews 13:8 that: “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.”
This in turn means that God is absolutely reliable and trustworthy and this unchanging nature of His serves as a solid and firm foundation, in a world that is constantly changing and unstable.
Our lives and circumstances change, people change, our emotions shift… but God remains the same. His loves for you remains the same, His grace and power are always available for you in your times of need, the way He thinks about you hasn’t and can’t change no matter how much you think about yourself… and because God hasn’t and indeed cannot change, hope remains possible, no matter what it is that you are going through.
Because God is faithful, we can also put our hope in His Word and hang on to all of His promises, knowing that whatever He says is true and that all that He promises are as good as fulfilled. Indeed it is easier for the sun to rise from the north and set in the south than for God to break one of His promises (this is a bad example I know, but it is just to give you a faint idea).
Therefore we can always look back to His past deeds/faithfulness in our lives or other’s lives and be encouraged, knowing that as He has done it before, He can do it again.
And thank God that His faithfulness does not depend on us. Because even when we fail and are faithless, He remains faithful and true to His Word and to His promises (2 Timothy 2:13).
Now these are just three things about the character of God that brings us hope, but there is more! What about His goodness, mercy, grace, kindness, justice, holiness etc… all these serve as pointers showing us in their own unique ways why we can and should put our Hope in Him.
So my question for you is, what is it that you are placing you hope in? And where do you know where your hope is placed? Let me answer that with a question: what is the thing, or person in your life that you couldn’t imagine life without ? Think about it because that is where you hope truly lies.
You see hope is only as strong as its source and for our hope to be secure, it needs to be placed on something that is firm, true, reliable, stable, unchanging and that can last the test of time. Only God meets these conditions perfectly. So if God is not the source, hope is just a wishful thought, indeed the nature of God assures us that hope will be fulfilled.
Now I know what I am talking about. You see I placed my hope in obtaining a degree in Software Development which is one held in very high esteem. Four years ago when I enrolled into college, it promised me a good and stable job the moment I finished, lots of wealth and financial security, and a comfortable life. But ever since I got it, it has not met any of my expectations, it has not let me land a job, I have applied to hundreds of jobs and have gotten only a few interviews — even with my skill set. Its been almost a year now since I obtained the degree and have been constantly searching but things still aren’t looking good.
You see God has painfully been showing me that whatever or whoever it is that you are placing your hope in apart from Him — no matter how reliable it might seem to be, will eventually fail you.
But by placing our hope in God, we can be assured that our whole past: be it our sins, failures, mistakes… have been dealt with through Christ Jesus. We can have hope in the present knowing the He is with us (no matter what we are going through) and for us and will be with us till the end. And finally we can hope for the future beyond the present life as we look forward to the day when Christ comes back and He makes all things right and fully establishes His Kingdom here on earth where there will be no more crying, nor weeping, nor pain (see Revelation 21).
The result of this kind of hope is joy (not happiness!) and peace, the kind that is able to carry us through even the darkest days.
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The kind that kept Job’s eyes fixed on God even after He literally lost everything: his children, health and wealth.
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The kind that kept Joseph faithful to God even after being sold into slavery by his own brothers and falsely imprisoned.
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The kind that Paul had when he urged his readers to rejoice in the Lord always (Philippians 4:4), from within a prison cell.
The Bible says: “but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.” — Isaiah 40:31.
That is the nature of the hope that God, who is its Source, pours into our lives as we fix our eyes on Him.
In Conclusion
I urge you brothers and sisters:
Put Your Hope in God
Now this is the only reasonable response to who God is. Whatever it is that you are hoping for surrender it to Him and place your hope in Him because only Him can truly fulfill our hearts desires and do the impossible in our lives.
Hang On to His Word and Promises
Because God is faithful, let us hang on to every single one of His words and promises like our lives depend on it, because indeed they do! Also keeping in mind that they are true, and are a solid foundation on which we can build our lives.
In other words read your Bible! The more you know it, the more you wil get to know God, and the more you get to know Him, the more you will get to know His Character and will be able to draw hope from it during the different seasons of your life.
Be Prepared to Give a Reason for Your Hope
”…Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have…” — 1 Peter 3:15
You see our hope as believers is something that the world does not have. And because it doesn’t have this kind of hope, we tend to stand out a lot among them and questions are bound to arise from time to time. So Peter urges us in his first letter to always be prepared to give people a reason for this hope that we profess so that the world would come to share this hope that we have.
I’ll end with two verses of encouragement:
“Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful.” - Hebrews 10:23
“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” - Romans 15:13