Hope!
By Lynn Mosher
Hope…sometimes stuck in our finite brains as wishful thinking, as a “pie in the sky” kind of thing, but…
…hope is not wishful thinking!
What some others say about hope…
*Love floods us with hope. ~Jareb Teague
*Hope is grief’s best music. ~Author Unknown
*Hope is the physician of each misery. ~Irish Proverb
*Once you choose hope, anything’s possible. ~Christopher Reeve
*Hope is putting faith to work when doubting would be easier. ~Author Unknown
*You’ve gotta have hope. Without hope life is meaningless. Without hope life is meaning less and less. ~Author Unknown
*Most of the important things in the world have been accomplished by people who have kept on trying when there seemed to be no hope at all. ~Dale Carnegie
*When you say a situation or a person is hopeless, you’re slamming the door in the face of God. ~Charles L. Allen
So, if hope is not wishful thinking, what is it? It is active participation in trust!
Scripture says, “And patience develops strength of character in us and helps us trust God more each time we use it until finally our hope and faith are strong and steady.” (Rom. 5:4 TLB)
How does the dictionary define the word ‘hope’?
Whether as a noun or a verb, it describes ‘hope’ as the feeling or desire accompanied by expectation of or belief in fulfillment, as that which is wanted can be had or that events will turn out for the best, a person or thing in which expectations are centered, to expect with confidence, to believe, trust, or rely, or to cherish a desire with anticipation.
How does the New Testament define ‘hope’? Two words are used…
*The first word is a noun, ‘elpis,’ which means expectation whether of good or of ill, rarely in a bad sense, fear; in a good sense: expectation of good, hope; and in the Christian sense, joyful and confident expectation of eternal salvation. It is always translated (in the KJ) as ‘hope.’