Hope

I have noticed the word "hope" a lot lately. We talked about it in our class at church last night. To most of us the word "hope" means "wish." "I hope I can do that," meaning, "I wish I could do that." But as we talked last night, hope in Scripture means eager or confident expectation. The illustration I used was I have hope that the sun will come up in the morning. Probably a poor example, but it works for me. You see, the sun has come up everyday since I've been alive. It hasn't missed a day. Yes, it's been covered at times by clouds and fog, but it's still there and always has. I have no control over it, but I have enough faith in the solar system (and the One who created it) to have hope that it will come up every morning.

Hebrews 11:1--"Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see."

Romans 8:22-24--"We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption of sons, the redemption of our bodies. For in this hope, we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what he already has? But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently."

I Peter 1:3, 4--"Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade--kept in heaven for you..."

Psalm 33:20-22--"We wait in hope for the Lord; he is our hlep and our shield. In him our hearts rejoice, for we trust in his holy name. May your unfailing love rest upon us, O Lord, even as we put our hope in you."

What I hear in this are things like unfailing love, confidence, trust, hope. Hope--an eager, confident expectation of what God can and will and continues to do. May you have hope today. JW