It Starts Small

Hope, according to dictionary.com is, a feeling of expectation and desire for a certain thing to happen. This definition is not the sort of hope God’s Word is speaking about because this sort of hope is uncertain. For example, someone could say it is going to rain today and someone else might say with a questionable tone, I hope so. This means they are not sure if it will rain, but they wish it to rain. Notice the definition says, a feeling. God does not operate by feeling. He does not give us an ear tingle, bubbling up of good feeling, or anything near our feelings. That would be better called a wish.

There are two words in Hebrew used for the word hope: yachal and tiqvah or qavah.

Yachal, according to Strong’s Concordance, means to wait or be patient. It is most often associated with waiting on God. It may be waiting upon God’s Word, promises, or actions. One such example is found in Job 13:15. Sometimes, yachal is used when continually waiting or enduring. This type of hope is found in Psalm 71:14.

Tiqvah means a cord or attachment. It appears first in God’s Word in Joshua 2:18 and is translated as cord. This translation is only found here in Joshua. Tiqvah also means to expect and is related to the Hebrew word qavah, which means to wait for or to expect, or look eagerly. Qavah, comes fromt he root word qav, which means cord. It means the feeling of tension and expectation while waiting for something to happen, like pulling a cord tight to produce a state of tension. Qavah is primarily translated as wait.

In the Old Testament, hope means to wait for something with expectation and anticipation it will happen. It is most often followed by joy and pleasure as related to God.

In Greek, the word hope is translated elpis. Elpis, according to Strong’s means expectation, trust, and confidence. The root word is elpo, which means to anticipate with pleasure and to welcome. It is an expectation of what is guaranteed.

Hope in the New Testament means a reasonable expectation, looking towards the future with assurance that is accompanied by joy and pleasure as related to Jesus.

Not a Mere Wish

We can see that by learning to translated Greek and Hebrew, hope is not the english definition or by all means, the worldly definition of hope. It is not a mere wish that implies a level of doubt. Christian hope is the confidence that something will come to pass because God has promised it will come to pass!

Hope, Biblical hope, has a foundation from Faith.

11 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. Hebrews 11:1

Faith and hope are complimentary. You can not have one without the other. Faith is grounded in the reality of the past and hope is looking to the reality of the future. Without faith, there is no hope, without hope there is no true faith. Hope is looking expectantly towards the future based on our faith in God in the present and His faithfulness in the past.

We need hope. Hope motivates us to keep moving forward because life is never ending. It is a constant flow of hardships and trials. A Christian life is never promised to be trouble free. Hope navigates hard times without doubt, fear, or despair. Hope is peace and joy, no matter the circumstances because we know we have a God that works all things for our good. Hope is the ability to see the light when surrounded by nothing but darkness.

Hope

God’s Word tells us hope is an important virtue of the Christian alongside with faith and love. What does God’s Word say are the attributes of hope?

Without Christ there is no Hope!

¹² That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world: Ephesians 2:12

Biblical hope is waiting on a future event with confidence and the Word of God is the only sure thing in all of creation. Without God, there is no hope! Without believing in Christ, there is no sure hope.

Our Living Hope

¹³ Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ; Titus 2:13

Christ’s resurrection is the cornerstone of the Christian faith. Paul says in 1 Corinthians 15:14, if Jesus had not risen our faith is empty. Without His resurrection we have no hope for the next life. Christ is risen!

Hope brings Peace and Joy

28 The hope of the righteous shall be gladness: but the expectation of the wicked shall perish. Proverbs 10:28

Hope produces joy because you know a favorable event will happen, and your wait is not in vain.

Perseverance

³ And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience; ⁴ And patience, experience; and experience, hope: Romans 5:3-4

Trials and tribulation in our lives develops endurance. Endurance teaches us to trust God no matter the circumstances. Perseverance, endurance, in trials and tribulation builds us and enables us to see beyond the circumstance to the future God has promised, which is where hope is born.

Hope is in the future and not seen – True Hope from God

²⁴ For we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for? ²⁵ But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it. Romans 8:24-25

Trust is foundational to hope. Hope requires that we have complete trust in God. We can not see what we are waiting for, not do we know when it will come, but through our trust in God, we are given confidence it will come. True hope only comes from the one who created it: God. Trust produces obedience, which produces hope and is come by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Nothing in this world gives true hope, except God.

Hope will fail when it’s place in circumstance changes, people, or anything in this world.