Hope is an interesting word that is used in so many varied ways. It is used frequently throughout the bible and is something people say often, usually in contexts such as ‘I hope it doesn’t rain today’ or ‘I hope I do well on my exam.’ Sometimes we even use it to describe something we desire for someone else, such as ‘I hope so and so quits smoking.’ Using it in this way, it is like a wish or desire that something does or does not happen.  While to cherish a desire with anticipation is one definition of hope; the bible’s use of hope is much more certain.  It is a desire with a confident expectation of a certain outcome and it is centered on someone or something, as Christians, namely our Lord.

I used to think that my hope was solely based on my faith in Jesus; however, as I have learned to take an honest look at myself, I have found that my hope has often been placed in myself, others, and in my circumstances. I started noticing when I found myself putting my hope in things other than God and realized it created a lot of heartache and pain for me and I fell into despair. I realized this is because my hope was unfounded, like the man in the bible who built his house on shifting sand instead of on the rock of Jesus and when the rains came and the winds blew, his house collapsed.

Placing my hope in my circumstances, means relying on my own will and expecting life to always be good for me. What happens when my good circumstances are not the same as my neighbors? We live in a fallen world where both good and bad things happen and to think I am immune to having anything I don’t like happen to me or the people I love is unrealistic. It is an attempt to control and a refusal to accept life on life’s terms. When I am willing, God can use these uncontrollable circumstances to shape and mold my character to be more Christlike.

I am grateful God can transform me, because one thing is clear: I am human. I make mistakes and I mess up daily, and so do my fellow humans around me.  When my hope is in myself or others, I find that I begin to be filled with expectations of everyone and everything, spouting off should and should nots. My perfectionism becomes an expression of my hope and there is one thing I know for sure…I will be disappointed, it’s only a matter of time. Humans mess up and let each other down, but thankfully our God is not human. He is perfect, loving and unchanging and therefore, the only appropriate place for my confident expectation, which will never let me down.

Practice for Today

God is faithful and He can show me things I am unaware of about myself if I am willing. Usually I find if I am really upset at myself or someone else for ‘messing up again’ or agitated that something has not changed yet, I find I have misplaced my hope. I will choose to be aware and notice when I start to hope in people changing, prayers being answered a certain way, expecting perfection or everything going exactly the way I envision it in my head. My hope can only be certain when it is founded in God, and the more I hope in Him, my faith and trust in Him will grow as well. God willingly offers me peace and serenity when my hope is in Him alone, and this appropriate placement of hope is where I can find joy regardless of my circumstances.

Hebrews 11:1   Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. 

Romans 15:13    May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.

Isaiah 26:3     You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you.