Hope is the expectation of a positive outcome in the midst of uncertainty or difficult and uncertain circumstances. It is belief or confidence that things will improve, based on possibility rather than certainty. It is often a trust, optimism, or aspiration for a better future. The philosopher Aquinas describes it as a future event that is attainable but not guaranteed.
The Bible connects hope with faith. It describes faith as a firm confidence that the things we hope for will indeed happen, that God will make real the things we cannot yet see (Heb. 11:1). Hebrews 6:19–20 then goes on to say: “We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure.” It is impossible to live without hope. Job experienced this when he lost everything, had no strength left, and wanted to die. He was a man without hope (see Job 3). In Romans 5:3–5 Paul encourages us to rejoice in our suffering because it produces perseverance and strengthens our hope.
We must always place our hope in God and not in the sources of false hope. False hope leads people to plan and build on sand. The Bible identifies several such things:
(1) There is false hope in wealth or money (David condemns his enemy who trusts in wealth in Psalm 38:7–8, and Paul tells Timothy in 2 Tim. 3:2 to warn the believers in Ephesus about false hope in riches);
(2) False hope in people (the psalmist says we will be disappointed if we place our hope in people rather than in God);
(3) False hope in idols or anything we place above God (the prophet Habakkuk declares in Habakkuk 2:18 how foolish it is to place your hope in man-made structures);
(4) False hope in governments (Isaiah warns the people of Judah not to place their hope in the government of Egypt).
Hope is only as good as the power and character of the one in whom it is placed. True hope can only be found in God and specifically in God’s promises. This is one of the unique and most powerful advantages of God’s followers. What God has promised to all believers in Jesus enables us to overcome the challenges of life (see Psalm 42:6 and 12). Jeremiah’s message to the people is that although they are in captivity, God’s promises will always give them hope (Jeremiah 17).
That same hope in God is available to you today.
Written by Hendrik Nel