WHAT IS HOPE?
HOPE - it comes from the Greek word elpizo - taken from Hebrews 11:1, “Faith is the substance of things hoped for“….and the definition here is “to wait for something with joy and confidence and to trust in the One you expect to bring it about“.
Things hoped for…Think about that: the “things you have hoped for” have joined together to make a substance - a material stuff - a foundation that is the very basis for your faith. It is not just wishful thinking. Hope is a like a rock!
One meaning of the word hope is described as an attached rope or cord….so your hope is always attached to something. In our case, there is someone on the other end. God is the One on the other end. Our hope is attached to Him - to His promises, to His faithfulness, to His goodness. Our hope isn’t wishful thinking. It is grounded in the Word of God.
There is a definition of hope that is like that of trust and security - a hope with a safety net, a hope that won’t let us down…like a child falling back in its father’s arms with utter confidence that his father will be there to catch him. Still another description of hope is to tarry, to wait upon, to expect. People who have this sort of hope may not expect instant results, but they DO expect results eventually, and they are willing to wait for those results.
Hope isn’t always passive. Sometimes it is bold, like Abraham’s faith, in Romans 4:18 “Who against hope believed in hope, that he might become the father of many nations, according to that which was spoken, So shall thy seed be.” Still another kind of hope is collective, like the hope of an entire nation or Kingdom.
One of our favorites is the meaning of hope in “Christ in us, the hope of glory“, Colossians 1:27, which is a joyful and confident expectation of good! Hope, then, by definition, is a waiting upon or even a foundation to build upon with expectation. It is complete reliance upon something good and can be an attachment to something or someone - like with a cord. But hope is also a protection, a security.
In this economy, we all need hope. Hope is a life-line to our future success. Hope doesn't look at the now - it focuses on the unseen. Having hope is having full and joyful confidence in the future, with complete trust in our beloved God for a bright tomorrow.
We MUST stir up fresh hope!