Word Study - Part II

We continue our word study today with another concept that we all think we understand, but we really don’t. That’s sort of vague, I know, and I’m no proponent of “vagueness” so let’s cut to the chase. What word am I talking about? What word would follow so easily in the footsteps of love? Hope.

What does hope mean to you? For a long time, to me hope meant having the feeling that someday I would get what I wanted. If I was just patient enough, if I was just a martyr long enough, eventually God would reward me. And then I got disillusioned. I still had the same concept of hope, I just felt like hope didn’t materialize into the desired whatever often enough to warrant being a valid or worthwhile feeling. To me, hope kept you from moving on with your life. It kept you from getting over it. Hope was like this mire of quicksand and I was helplessly stuck in the middle. Can’t go forward. No way to go back. What to do, what to do? (Other than wallow is self-pity, of course.)

The answer surprised me. I wasn’t supposed to exert my control over people, things and situations. I wasn’t supposed to give God an ultimatum. (I think God laughs at people that give Him ultimatums and I don’t like getting laughed at.) I didn’t need to remind God of what a great person I am, just in case it slipped His mind.

I needed to redefine hope.

Actually, redefine isn’t the right word. Rediscover. Yeah, that’s better. I needed to rediscover hope.

So what is hope? Lucky for you, I have my handy dandy Bible dictionary sitting next to me right now. (Yes, a Bible dictionary. I need a biblical definition of hope, so bear with me.)

Hope is defined as trustful expectation, particularly with reference to the fulfillment of God’s promises. Biblical hope is the anticipation of a favorable outcome under God’s guidance. More specifically, hope is the confidence that what God has done for us in the past guarantees our participation in what God will do in the future. This contrasts to the world’s definition of hope as “a feeling that what is wanted will happen.” (Does that sound familiar? Hmmmm.)

Given the assurance of hope, Christians live in the present with confidence and face the future with courage.

Romans 5:3-5
And not only this, but we also exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance; and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope; and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.

Dude! Do those words give you hope? They do me. For real.

And then you take that and combine it with other Christian principles, like faith and patience.

James 1:2-4
Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of our faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

And since I think you can never use the word “tribulation” too many times in one day, let’s head back over to Romans for a bit.

Romans 12:10-12
Be devoted to one another in brotherly love; give preference to one another in honor; not lagging behind in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord; rejoicing in hope, persevering in tribulation, devoted to prayer.

So does that mean we are called to rejoice FOR tribulation? No, we are called to rejoice IN tribulation. Why? Because when tribulation runs its course (assuming we continue to live under God’s guidance) we are left with hope. What sort of hope? The world’s hope? No. With the hope that does not disappoint. Get it? God’s hope does not disappoint.

We poison our own hearts when we put qualifications on what we want God to do for us. We have to remember what God has promised us in this life and what He hasn’t. Did He promise you that you would find someone to spend your life with? That you would be successful in your career? That you would live happy and healthy? If you said “yes,” you might want to have a little visit with a thing called reality.

Does that mean He won’t give us those things and we should, therefore, go out and find them on our own? No. (I like asking questions that are answered “No.” It’s fun.) God loves us. And we learned last time that love is very rarely about how you feel. It’s about how you make your loved one feel. How do I know God loves me? He shows me. He works things out in my behalf. He blesses me in incredible ways, most of which I’m not grateful enough for or a good steward of. And sometimes He loves me by not giving me what I want. To be mean? Because He gets a kick out of my misery? No and no. Because He wants better for me.

But I digress.

So what’s the point in all this, anyway? When I go through things in life that I think suck, I have to keep this in mind: that through this insignificant crisis in my life, God is making me perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

I will continue to have hope. Not so much in this world, which is destined to disappoint, but in the next. Here’s another word for you: heaven. “The word ‘heaven’ occurs more frequently in Revelation that in any other New Testament book. The Revelation addresses heaven from the standpoints of struggle between good and evil and God’s rule from heaven. The most popular passage dealing with heaven is Rev. 21:1-22:5. In this passage, heaven is portrayed in three different images: the tabernacle, the city, and the garden. The image of the tabernacle portrays heavenly life as perfect fellowship with God. The symbolism of the city portrays heavenly life as perfect protection. The image of the garden shows heavenly life as perfect provision.”

What better place to put your hope?