Hope

In today's world, people are hurting.  People need "Hope".

People are hungry, even starving for "hope".

But what is this seemingly intangible feeling everyone is reaching to grasp.

But I will hope continually and will praise You yet more and more.  Psalms 71:14

To understand the full magnitude of David saying this is Psalms, you have to look at the verses leading up to this one.  King Saul and his army were after David, seeking to take his life.  He was hiding in the wilderness and had been for quite awhile.  His situation seemed dire...a king wanted him dead!

Some might have lost "hope".  Not David.  He said, "I hope continually".

Now probably most of us do not have a king seeking to kill us, but we have other foes that seek to destroy our hope.  


Maybe (like many currently) you have lost a job and have been looking for awhile.  Maybe you are in a financial situation that appears hopeless.   Maybe you are going through a relationship crisis.


I don't know what your situation is, maybe things are rosy for you and you are thinking, "I don't need this one."  Great!  Maybe you know someone else who does.

Let's look at the word "hope" for a moment.  Let me define this kind of "hope" David had and the "hope" we should have as well.


The word for "hope"  in the original Hebrew is "yachal" and it means to wait or expect.

This kind of "hope" is not the kind of hope we are use to hearing about.  In my experience, when I have heard someone say, "I hope so",  it usually has not been a statement of expectancy.  It is a mamby-pamby statement of unbelief meaning, "maybe it will happen but.... probably not."

That definition of hope is NOT BIBLICAL! Biblical hope says, "I am waiting and expecting God to do something."

Hope is the expectation of a positive outcome.

We need to move our definition of "hope" to one of expectancy.  We need to expect a positive result because we serve a positive God.  

Don't tune me out here, I know you have heard the next verse before, but I promise I will make it worth another look!

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

Let's break this down for a moment using the original Greek.

"Faith" is the word "pistis" and look at what it means:  Belief with the predominate idea of trust or confidence.

"Substance"  is the word "hypostasis" and means:  Steadfastness of mind, firmness, courage, confidence, firm trust, assurance.

"Things hoped for" in this verse is the word "elpizo" and it means:  To wait with joy and full confidence.

"Things" is the word "pragma" and means:  That which exisits, that which has been done, an accomplished fact.

Are you getting this?  If you put all that together, you get something like this:

Faith is believing with confidence what we are waiting for with joy, the evidence of that which already exists or that which has already been accomplished that we just cannot see yet. 

The NIV translation says it this way:

Faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.  Hebrews 11:1

If you look at it with the definition of "hope" in mind, you can say:

Faith is expecting and being sure of a positive outcome and certain of what we do not see.

We don't need mamby-pamby hope, we need biblical "hope".  What is it you are waiting on God to do?  What is it you need?  You can be certain of a positive outcome.  Put your hope in the Lord and then wait in rest, expecting. God is always faithful.  David hoped in the Lord.  God protected and provided for David.  Hope in Him, He will get you out of your wilderness.