3:347 – Hope: What Does It Mean?

#faithbites #faithjourney hope

Setting

I often use the word “Hope” without thinking about it. I hope for good grades or well-behaved children. We hope that it will be good weather for the party. My family hopes for a great next year. Today, I was talking to one of my pastors about hope and depression. Meaning, that you can be depressed and have Hope. The question is, “What does it mean to have hope?” Strong’s Concordance relates it to several works meaning trust, confidence, secure, bold, careless, sure, safely, securely, and the list goes on.

Merriam-Webster’s dictionary defines hope as “to cherish a desire with anticipation: to want something to happen or be true”. A search of the NIV translation of the Bible has the word “hope’ 167 times across 159 verses. Maybe it might be important?

Our hope is in Christ Jesus. We have faith in his promises and know his word to be true. If we didn’t, then everything we believe is wrong. The key is that this hope is true AND we don’t have to earn it. We don’t need to check off boxes. If we believe in Jesus, if we follow his word, if we ask for forgiveness when we fail, we have all inheritances promises. Hope isn’t for the perfect. It’s for all of us.

Scripture

• Romans 15:13 – May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.
• Hebrews 11:1 – Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.
• 1 Peter 1:3-5 – Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, ⁴ to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, ⁵ who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. 

Reflection

Hope has many synonyms. As we see it is mentioned throughout the Bible. Why? Because it is a core principle of our faith. We have hope through the living Chris. We are filled with joy and hope because God made us that way. He sacrificed his one and only Son for us. Faith and hope go hand in hand. Don’t forget the power of faith and prayer when hope seems lost.

Personally, I have many days when I don’t hope for anything. I don’t know what the future will bring and nothing seems to excite or energize me. It’s on those days that I pray harder and see God’s counsel. He always answers in his way. The hard part for me is seeing how he answers and recognizing it as him acting in my life. We will have good days and bad days, that’s part of life. Just know that hope is for everyone and all you have to do is just have faith.

Challenge

Tell yourself you don’t have to earn hope. You are loved, wonderfully created, and saved through your faith. Your hope will be rewarded. Ask God to answer you prayers and listen to how he answers them. Take your friends up on the offer of coffee or drinks or whatever it is. This is how God is showing you you are loved.

Prayer

Father God, thank you for giving us hope. You don’t hold it back until we earn it. Your Son earned our redemption and with it we have hope eternal. We pray that no matter how dark the day, you let us feel your presence and know that having hope and faith in you is all we need to survive and thrive. Lord, there is so much to lose hope in: our politicians, leaders, communities, and even friends. You should us that this is temporary and you are never changing, all loving, all-forgiving. Help us to be strong in you and know that our hope will be rewarded and is never misplaced. We love you and pray all these things in your name, Amen.