“The assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen” (Hebrews 11:1).
What are you hoping for today? What are you picturing for your future? You see we probably use the word hope many times everyday. You might say “ I hope this deal goes through” or “ I hope I pass my exams” or “ I hope my kids are going to be safe.” When we use the word “hope” in ordinary English vocabulary, it is generally distinguished from certainty. We would say, "I don't know what's going to happen, but I hope it happens.” Hope is the desire for something good in the future.
When we look to the scriptures however we find that there is a distinct biblical meaning of Hope. The most important feature of biblical hope is not present in any of these ordinary uses of the word hope. In fact, the distinctive meaning of hope in Scripture is almost the opposite of our ordinary usage. It’s not that in Scripture hope is a desire for something bad (instead of something good), or that hope is rejection of good (instead of desire for it). It is not the opposite in those senses. It is the opposite in this sense: ordinarily, when we use the word hope, we express uncertainty rather than certainty. My kids often say “I hope daddy gets home early,” this means, “I don’t have any certainty that daddy will get home on time, I only desire that he does.” “A good tailwind is our only hope of arriving on time,” means, “A good tailwind would bring us to our desired destination, but we can’t be sure we will get one.” Normally, when we express hope, we are expressing uncertainty. Whereas biblical hope is not just a desire for something good in the future, but rather a confident expectation for something good in the future.
Biblical hope not only desires something good for the future but it expects it to happen. And it not only expects it to happen, it is confident that it will happen. There is a certainty that the good we expect, and desire will be done. Biblical hope has confidence, expectation and certainty in it. When the word says, “Hope in God!” it does not mean, “Cross your fingers.” It means, to use the words of William Carey, “Expect great things from God.” We see this in the scriptures the whole way through. Let’s look at the words that are used in the bible for Hope. “O Israel HOPE in the Lord for with the Lord there is mercy”. Psalm 130:7. Here the word hope is YACHAL –it means trust and confidence. “And now Lord, what do I wait for”? “My hope is in you.” Psalm 39:7 Here the word for hope is towcheleth it means expectation. When it comes to the New Testament we see the word used for hope is Elpis, it means “to expect, to anticipate with pleasure, to have a strong confident expectation!!” Are you starting to get the picture? It is important that we have a true biblical understanding of what this word means. When we do the scriptures come alive and we begin to experience the heart of the Lord towards us!!
You see the Lord doesn’t want us to be in any doubt of his intentions towards us. He is good and His plans for us are to give us hope. Not a hope that is uncertain in which we are wavering as to whether we can truly depend on it. But the hope that the Lord gives us is steadfast and sure. It is unchanging. It is not swayed by circumstances. It is founded in his character and we know that he is faithful so we can trust his word and believe. Allow this confident expectation of good to fill your heart and step out and believe the promises He has spoken over your life!
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Unshakeable Hope Series – Exchange Church Belfast 2021