Hope Is Not a Wish

Y’all know I like hope. My testimony is all because of hope. We named this blog HOPE Notes, turning the word hope into an acronym—Helping Others Pursue Eternity. I have magnets and Christmas ornaments with the word hope. It is an important part of who I am.

I’ve heard argument about using the word hope, as if it’s a watered down way to pray. But using the word hope is not like saying “I wish God would help me.” Hope allows me to believe He CAN help me and that He WILL; hope allows me to wait on Him with patience while maintaining my joy and my peace.

Hope is not just wishful thinking. Sure, maybe sometimes we say things like, “I hope I get a raise,” or “I hope we get some rain soon.” But hope is so much more than that; to me it’s like a big tangled ball of yarn…hope is entwined with faith, which is entwined with trust, which is entangled with belief, etc. It’s one of those “you can’t have one without the other” words.

I looked up the definitions of the words wish and hope. Wish is described as “a desire or hope for something to happen,” and hope as “a desire accompanied by expectation of or belief in fulfillment.” Seemingly interchangeable words, yet the ‘expectation of or belief in fulfillment’ tacked on to the definition of hope is what makes it different. When we hope for something, we have expectation that it will come to pass because we believe the Word of God. The bible is full of references to hope. 1 Peter 1:3 tells us that we are given hope through the resurrection of Jesus, because of God’s great mercy. Hebrews 10:23 tells us to hold fast to our hope without wavering, because God is faithful to His promises.  

I know it sounds redundant to say that hope gives me hope, but that’s how I feel. I wonder sometimes how people get through the tragedies of life without hope. Knowing that God has given me hope gives me hope to face my tomorrows. Hebrews 6:19 says, “We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure.” The hope I have enables me to face my giants with confidence knowing that God is right there with me.

I hope that you find your hope today.