Have you ever thought about the number of times you use the word hope? Think about it. Reflect on your day and notice the number of times it flows from your tongue.
I hope you feel better. I hope you have a great day. I hope it doesn’t rain. I hope this tastes as good as it looks. I hope to exercise. I hope my skin doesn’t get sunburned. I hope to read this book. I hope for healing. I hope we have enough money. I hope my car starts. I hope today is productive. I hope the traffic isn’t too bad. I hope for restored relationship. I hope….
I’ve been thinking about the word hope lately. If I had to come up with my own definition, it would be something like “living expectantly for something not yet realized or experienced.” How would you define hope?
For what do you live expectantly?
A number of years ago, a dear friend miscarried her baby. She and her husband named their lost little girl Hope. Together this couple lived with the hope that God might create new life within my friend’s womb, which God graciously did. Today she and her husband have five children. My friend also lives each day with the hope of meeting her child in heaven someday. When I think of my friend and her daughter Hope, I consider my own longings. What do I hope for? What do you hope for?
Hope – A feeling of expectation and desire for a certain thing to happen. A feeling of trust.
Scripture tells us to put our hope in God. Live eager for God’s presence. Anticipate God’s provision. Await God’s intervention. Look forward to God’s redemptive plan. Both the Psalmist and Isaiah declare that those who hope in the Lord receive comfort, strength, and deliverance. When our hope is placed in the security of the God of the universe, we experience expectant living in the certainty of God. He faithfully cares for His creation.
Paul and Peter proclaim in many of their letters recorded in the Bible, that Jesus is our hope. He, who defeated death and victoriously rose to life, offers hope to all who trust Him. He is the definition of hope. In Jesus lies the hope of salvation. Through Him we hope for wholeness and health. By the Holy Spirit’s movement within the soul, disciples of Jesus hope for transformation into Christlikeness. And, because of God’s eternal plan, we hope for life with God in eternity. Indeed, Jesus is our hope.
Paul says in Romans 15:13: “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.” The God of all hope.
Truly God is the God of all hope and this verse reveals ways to participate with God so that growth takes place. We grow by trusting in God’s ways. Remarkably, the definition of hope includes “a feeling of trust.” Spiritual maturation transpires as we trust God’s goodness to us. Our belief in God develops as we exercise dependance upon Him. Like the father in Mark 9 who beseeched Jesus to heal his son, we too must exclaim, “I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!” We believe and yet need help by the Spirit to trust God with our unbelief in order to grow spiritually.
I love the gifts that accompany trusting in the God of all hope: joy and peace. As we trust in God we experience peace with our soul that relieves us from anxiety and allows us greater trust in His ways. When we trust in Him, the God of all hope, we experience joy, as He is the joy of our salvation. He delights us with His presence. Consequently, the Holy Spirit, alive within us, pours out so much hope that it not only flows into the needy spaces within our soul, but also overflows onto those we encounter. That, is a God of abundant hope. God generously fills His followers with joy, peace, and hope as trust and belief center the soul.
With what can you trust God today? How will you hope in God?
God is the only fulfilling source for the expectant and not yet realized. While we hope for eternity with God, we live life to the full here and now. We may have hopes in this world which exist temporarily, but our ultimate hope settles in the eternal presence of God. We speak truth when we pronounce hope to ourselves, to others, and to God, affirming hope’s true source, our triune God.
Although living with the expectancy of things not yet realized both in this life and in the life to come, may we each experience the fullness of the joy and peace available to us as we trust in the God of all hope.
Come, Holy Spirit, pour out extravagantly the overflow of hope found in You.
I hope you have a great week!
Drips from the Word: Muse about these Bible verses. Let these truths impact your living.
Psalm 25:5 – Guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long.
Hebrews 10:23 – Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful.
Splashes from the Spigot: Drink from deep wells. Read these recommended books to fill your soul.
Max Lucado. Unshakable Hope: Building Our Lives on the Promises of God. Nashville, TN. 2018.
Craig Groeschel. Hope in the Dark: Believing God Is Good When Life Is Not. Tulsa, OK. 2018.
Sprinklings of Truth: Soak in meaningful songs. Check out these music videos to lift up your spirit.
Third Day. My Hope is You. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=85XmMoYlTPU
David Crowder. All My Hope. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7tElvdnId4Q