Hope Confident Expectation of good

“May the God of your hope so fill you will all joy and peace in believing (through the experience of your faith) that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound and be overflowing (bubbling over) with hope.” Romans 15:13 AMPC

“And our hope for you (our joyful and confident expectation of good for you) is ever unwavering (unassured and unshaken)” 2 Corinthians 1:7a

Hebrews 11:1 “Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see”; Romans 5:5 “and hope does not disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit”. Together these Scriptures describe ‘hope’ as a confident expectation rooted in God’s promises and love, not in wishful thinking, nor in presumption without foundation.

Romans 4:18 The Passion Translation says, “Against all odds, when it looked hopeless, Abraham believed the promise and expected God to fulfill it.” Another version says, Abraham “hoped against hope”. This signifies a direct opposition to reason, logic or common expectation. Abraham was believing God’s promise to have numerous descendants, even though he was nearly 100 years old and his wife Sarah was barren. Abrahm’s trust was in our Lord and Friend Who is faithful and is well able to keep His promises.

Hope is regarded by some as one of 3 sisters, the older sisters being Faith and Love. Of the three sisters, two of them are grown and the other is a small child. They go forward together, hand in hand, with the child hope in the middle. Looking at them it would seem that the bigger ones are pulling the child, but it is the other way around. It is the little girl who is pulling the two bigger ones. It is hope that pulls faith and love. Without hope everything would stop. Hebrews 6:19a “hope is the anchor for the soul, firm and secure.”

Let’s continue to keep our eyes on the One Who is Faithful; Holy Spirit strengthens us all the while as we wait on Him.

Shalom

Kath