Defining Hope

What do you think of when you think of the word hope? A dream, a wish? Me too, until recently.  My definition of hope has changed. Yesterday, hope was a wish that something good would happen and my current difficult situation would go away or get resolved. Yesterday, hope was something that I “hoped” would happen and just kept waiting for.  This kind of hoping led to disappointment.

But today, hope means something different. It’s trust – trust in a God who never changes and who does what He says He will do.

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A modern definition of hope from the Miriam Webster online dictionary says this:

Hope – to cherish a desire with anticipation: to want something to happen or be true.

A definition of the word hope from Strong’s Concordance, a Bible dictionary, says this:

Hope – expectation, trust, confidence.

And from The Discovery Bible HELPS Word-studies, Gary Hill, 2017:

Hope – expectation of what is sure (certain)

Do you see the similarities and differences in these word meanings? If we compare the first part of each definition, you’ll find a similarity – expectation or anticipation – but if we compare the last portion of the definitions we’ll see a big difference:

In the first definition you’ll find hope defined more as a wish for something to happen. You “want” it to be true. But Biblical definitions show us that hope is a certainty, a thing we can be confident in. It’s sure and certain and without a doubt. Biblical hope is more than wishful thinking, it is trust – trust that God is who He says He is and will do what He says He will do.

Biblical hope is more than wishful thinking, it is trust - trust that God is who He says He is and will do what He says He will do. Share on X

Hope Can Seem Elusive

It’s no secret though, that hope can be hard to find, especially when we are in the middle of adversity. If you find yourself in a place you’d rather not be – walking through long days of waiting, or perhaps facing an unexpected illness or physical problem, or in the midst of a secret heartbreak that no one else sees – you might wonder where hope is.

I’ve recently found myself looking for hope in a long drawn out experience I’m walking through, so I began to study the characteristics of Biblical hope. When I study, I like to make lists or journal because sometimes writing turns on the light bulb so to speak, which again, proved true as I studied hope.

Below I’ll share my list of what I’ve been learning about God’s kind of hope. I think we can also apply the insights in these verses and the list to things like finding joy and peace. God has all of that for us. We have to reach out and grab hold of it though.

Characteristics of Biblical Hope

Biblical hope is active. God is actively working in our lives even when we don’t see it. When we look into the personal stories of men and women in the Bible who had so many of the same struggles, thoughts, and fears that we face today, we can clearly see how hope carried them through. This is God in action, maturing our faith as we learn to hope and trust in Him.

For it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose. Philippians 2:13 NIV

Biblical hope is not based on human time-lines. It is based on God’s time-line and His thoughts and understandings are much higher than ours. This is where the discipline of active waiting comes in. We wait, we trust, we seek, we ask, we pray, we listen, we acknowledge, we do our best to be obedient. That is the kind of active waiting that should happen when we trust that God’s timing and direction is best.

Trust in the Lord with all your heart
And do not lean on your own understanding.
In all your ways acknowledge Him,
And He will make your paths straight. Proverbs 3:5-6 NASB

Biblical hope does not disappoint. There are many things in this life that will disappoint us at one time or another. Someone close to us may let us down, we may find ourselves in places that don’t look anything like what we had expected, even our own mistakes can make us feel disappointed (especially if you struggle with perfectionism). Disappointment is everywhere, except one place – inside Biblical hope. The kind of hope that God gives is the kind of hope that will never disappoint because God is who He says He is and He will do what He says He will do.

And hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us. Romans 5:5 NASB

Biblical hope is not an escape from our problems; it’s the bridge that helps us rise above them. Biblical hope reminds us that even when our circumstances are beyond understanding, God knew ahead of time we would go through them. He is working in our situation to mature our faith and instill hope in us – the kind of hope that helps us look forward to the eternal things. He even works through our difficult circumstances to pour out His love and hope to others around us in the way that only suffering can. He works this way in the physical circumstances of our lives because it is for the best and it is for His glory. And we have to trust Him in that, even when it doesn’t make a lot of sense.

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 NIV

What I finally realized as I studied Biblical hope was that much of my struggle with my topsy-turvy feelings can be placed on the level ground of God’s way if I hold on to this truth:

*Biblical hope does not depend on my circumstances. It’s easy to feel that there isn’t hope when we are feeling down and frustrated from a lengthy battle or a long drawn out set circumstances we didn’t ask for or want. If we’re talking about the Miriam Webster kind of hope – the kind that is just wishful thinking – it might be true that hope will wax and wane based on our current situation or feelings. But when we are talking about Biblical hope, there is a confidence there that can’t be changed by any human circumstances.

What we are going through has no effect on the kind of hope that God gives. Biblical hope never changes. It’s as sure today as it was yesterday and will be tomorrow. Nothing that involves our human circumstances can ever lessen or take away the kind of hope that comes from God.

Hope Changes our Perspective

Understanding these concepts about Biblical hope can change our perspectives about our difficult circumstances. This kind of hope is a bridge that helps us walk away from discouragement and our earthly disappointments. It helps us us look up and focus on Jesus (Hebrews 12:1-2) leading us to be heavenly minded, instead of earthly minded. Biblical hope takes our perspective off of our troubles and puts it on the One who can change us on the inside as we walk through the hard things.

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We Have a Choice

So friends, what all of this reminds me of is that we have a choice. We have a hope “set before us.” We are strongly encouraged to take hold of it. The hope we need is there for the taking, a gift from God, but He is not going to make that choice for us. We have a free will to turn toward what He has to offer or to turn away from it. Which is the better choice?

Biblical hope.

God’s kind of hope is an anchor in the storms of life. The waves and wind and the pounding rain can sure toss us around, can’t they? As we take refuge in the boat, we can also be assured that hope will hold us if we reach out for it. It’s sure and strong and steady and will get us through the storm we are facing today.

So that by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have taken refuge would have strong encouragement to take hold of the hope set before us. This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, a hope both sure and steadfast. Hebrews 6:18-19a NASB

Blessings,

 

 

 

Find our other articles about Biblical Hope HERE and HERE. Pick up our free Hope Kit by subscribing in the sidebar to the right or in the footer below.

Focus Verses
Each verse in this post is linked to its appropriate page at Bible Hub where you can find free resources for further study. Just click the verse reference to go there!

The thoughts in this article came to light for me as I read my Bible and studied in my two favorite places: www.biblehub.com (where you’ll find many free resources for your Bible study time) and also The Discovery Bible HELPS Word-studies written by Gary Hill. This resource has been invaluable to me. You can find out more at www.thediscoverybible.com.

If You Struggle with Perfectionism
If you struggle with perfectionism, hope can seem far away. Perhaps one reason for this is that perfectionism makes it difficult to let go of wanting to control our situation. Having hope involves trusting God with our future. It involves believing His way is best. It means that our time-lines are not going to be met (because God’s are different). It involves laying down our own plans and letting Him have control. It means becoming quiet, so hope can become active in our lives.

All of this, my friend, is not easy if you have perfectionism in your life. One way to walk away from perfectionism is to learn to have hope by allowing yourself to absolutely trust in God’s plans for your life – no matter what He may allow you to walk through, no matter the difficulties. If you are struggling to find hope, ask yourself how you might better trust God in your situation.

Consider these questions:
• Am I allowing God to work in my situation or am I trying to take care of it on my own?
• Am I relying on my own plans and timing or am I waiting for God’s?
• Am I constantly disappointed because I always look to human efforts and failures rather than looking to Biblical hope and the character of God?
• Do I have wishful thinking instead of having complete confidence in the sure hope that God offers?
• Do I view hope as an escape from my problems? Do I think of hope as a place where my problems will go away, rather than a place where I’ll find peace in the midst of them?
• Do I depend on the ups and downs of my circumstances to gauge the amount of hope that I can find in a given situation?

Let’s Pray
Lord, we praise you for who you are. You never change, you are our hope and our refuge in times of trouble. Help us to see that you are actively working in our lives and give us the strength to lay down our own plans and thoughts about how things should go. Help us understand that our circumstances don’t change the amount of hope that You have to give to us. Fill us up with it today. In Jesus name, Amen.

The post How to Find Hope That Will Not Disappoint You first appeared at www.journeytoimperfect.com. 

*This post may be linked in the following places. Click through to find more hope and encouragement for your new year!  Moments of Hope / Tea And Word Tuesdays / Tell His Story / Cheerleaders of Faith /  Coffee for Your Heart / Sitting Among Friends / Chasing Community / Salt and Light / Heart Encouragement Thursday / Counting My Blessings / Grace and Truth