“Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the Lord his God.” Psalm 146:5
What are you hoping for? Is there a situation you’re facing that you hope will soon get better? Are you hoping for a relationship to improve? Or maybe a better job? Or a different house? Or improved health? Maybe you’re just hoping next year will be better than this year. Hope is a very normal human feeling, and it’s also very powerful. Hope can motivate us to do things we didn’t think we could do. The lack of hope can lead us to despair.
All of the things I mentioned are not bad things to hope for. But that’s not really hope. At least not the way the Bible defines it. All of those are wishes. We wish this would improve, or we wish that situation would go away. No matter how hard we wish, there’s no guarantee our wish will be granted. But hope! Well, that’s a different story. When it’s Biblical hope, we can count on it coming true. Why? Because our hope is in the Lord. It’s a very different focus. We wish FOR something, but we hope IN God. And God will never fail us.
If I’m in a situation that I’m wishing would change, my focus is on that situation. I may spend time thinking about how difficult the situation is. Or maybe I think about what it will be like when the situation is different. There’s two problems with this: what I’m thinking about and what I’m not thinking about. I’m thinking about earthly things, about situations I may or may not have any control over. And I’m not thinking about God and seeking His will for my life. But when I live in hope, I’m resting in the One who has the whole world in His hands, the One who reigns sovereign over every situation, He who can and will provide is with everything we need to see us through anything we face. That kind of hope brings us courage to fight our battles, energy for what lies ahead, peace that calms our very souls, and a knowledge that no matter what happens, our God is working everything to our good.
Whenever you hear the word “hope,” think of the difference between hoping and wishing. Do you want to spend your days wishing for things that may not happen, or would you rather fix your thoughts on God and wait with eager expectation for the hope He has promised?