What, then, is hope? According to the dictionary, hope is a feeling of expectation and desire for a certain thing to happen. An archaic, or older, definition of hope is a feeling of trust.
I like both of those definitions. Especially when applied to the God to whom I've dedicated my life. My God is the God of expectation and desire, the God of trust. That sounds pretty good to me.
Hope doesn't stop there.
The above are the definitions of hope as a noun. When used as a verb, hope means to expect with confidence. So not only is our God the God of expectation, desire, and trust, He is also the God of confidence.
That's important. I don't want a God who is like the lottery, where I might desire to win, but know I have a better chance of getting struck by lightning. When I say my God is the God of hope, I mean He is the God not only of what I desire, but of what I confidently expect and trust to happen.
In other words . . .
Hope isn't about wanting something you don't really believe you'll ever get. That's dreams and fantasy. Hope is about desire and confidence. It's about wanting, and expecting that you'll get what you desire. Hope isn't a last ditch effort. Hope is where everything starts.
That's exactly who my God is.
Beautiful, William! Hope is not a made of wishes but of confidence in the promises of God. I eagerly expect His joy and peace! This dovetails wonderfully with my post from Friday, http://sherryjcarter.blogspot.com/2016/01/one-and-only-one.html. We even used the same verse!
ReplyDeleteGod must have a plan. Glad to know I am in good company, writing about the same things. God bless you.
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