Hope

Summary

Biblical hope is not wishful thinking but confident expectation — a sure trust in what God has promised but we cannot yet see. It is hope with an anchor, fixed not in circumstances but in the character of God. This hope steadies the present by securing the future. Because God keeps his word, the believer can face uncertainty, loss, even death, without being undone.

In the Old Testament

Amid despair, the psalmist preaches to his own soul: 'Hope in God; for I shall again praise him.' Even in exile God declared, 'I know the plans I have for you… to give you a future and a hope.' Israel's hope rested on a God who remembers and restores.

In the New Testament

The resurrection of Jesus turned hope from longing into certainty: we are 'born again to a living hope through the resurrection.' This hope 'does not put us to shame,' and it ends in a world where God 'will wipe away every tear,' and death is no more.

Common Misconception

We use 'hope' for things we're not sure of — 'I hope it doesn't rain.' Biblical hope is the opposite: a settled certainty awaiting fulfillment. It is not escapism either; the surest hope of heaven produces the most grounded, courageous living on earth.

Application

When discouragement presses in, preach to yourself as the psalmist did: remind your soul of God's promises and his track record. Set your hope fully on what is coming, and let it free you to live generously and bravely now.

Key Passages