Word Study: Hope
BYTES~ Word Study: Hope
By Meaghan Spies
1 Timothy 1:1 Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the
commandment of God our Saviour and the Lord Jesus Christ, our hope.
We Need Hope
Hope is something we as humans can never do
without. Hope
is what keeps us going, what keeps us alive, what keeps us moving forward with purpose even when all seems hopeless. Hope is the foundation of our faith.
Hebrews 11:1 Now faith is the substance of things hoped
for, the evidence of things not seen.
A life without Hope is literally a hopeless
life. God in His wisdom has given us of His hope to get us through each day and
through life, and Hope does not disappoint because we know we
are deeply loved.
Romans 5:5 Now hope does not disappoint,
because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.
Old Testament Hope
In the Book of Joshua,
the scarlet thread Rahab hung out of her window was her tangible and agreed on sign
of her Hope,
her Tiqvah,
to be spared from being destroyed along with the rest of the great walled city
of Jericho. The thing which she longed for came to pass. She and her family
were spared from destruction.
In Jeremiah 29:11, God says to those who have endured
hardship and sorrow that He has good plans for each person; that they can have Hope again during and after the storm; that He plans to give them the thing that they long for, an
expected end, His end, which is always good.
New Testament Hope
Elpis is the New Testament word for Hope. It
is derived from the root word Elpo defined as to anticipate, usually with pleasure. Hope
coupled with faith is a powerful, confident and favourable expectation of good
things to come.
We Are Prisoners
of Hope
Hope does not disappoint, according to the Word of God. Before we met Jesus, we were without Hope in this world. But when we
came to salvation through faith, Hope came and we were no longer slaves to the
dictates, corruption, fears and hopelessness of this world. You cannot know
Jesus, be filled with the Holy Spirit and not have Hope, a constant, confident expectation
of good. We are prisoners of hope through Christ
who loves us. We have Hope for the here and now and we have hope
for Eternal Life with God as He has promised. We have Hope whether we are alive now or
on our way to Heaven.
Expect
Jesus
Life happens to all
of us, no exceptions. Good and bad has an uncanny way of happening to all. Instead
of opening your heart to being disappointed, train yourself to Expect Jesus.
Holy Spirit taught me to Expect Jesus when things were going good and to
Expect Jesus
when things threatened to go bad. He taught me to Expect Jesus
when I was afraid, and suddenly the fear would be no more.
Stop expecting the negative,
fear-filled, worst-case scenarios bombarding your mind. Expect Jesus in everything and
you will find no reason to be disappointed again.
Colossians 1:26-27 the mystery which has been hidden from ages and from generations, but now has been revealed to His saints. To them God willed to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles: which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.
PS: There is so much more the Bible has to say about hope. Begin your own journey of hope with Jesus. Journal what you believe Holy Spirit is saying to you. Hide God's Word in your heart so that, when trouble comes, you will be able to draw strength, comfort and patience from the Scriptures.
Meaghan Spies © 2022
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