Do you ever wonder what life would be like without hope? What would motivate us? What would encourage us? How would we find purpose? We tend to think of hope as something ethereal, otherworldly. And I suppose it is, in the sense that it finds its beginning and end in God. But He has gifted us with hope in this world, in this time, as a means of  providing a way through the difficulties and chaos we so often face.

So What Is Hope?

So what exactly is hope? It is more than just a feeling, or wishful thinking. We use it so often that way that we forget that there is far more to it than that. Hope is expectation, but expecting with the confidence that what we hope for IS going to happen. Not maybe, but definitely. We are looking ahead not to a dream, but to a reality. And this hope for the future helps us to live with joy and trust in the present.

And this hope for the future helps us live with joy and trust in the present.

That is the kind of hope I find in the Bible. Whether I look at Jeremiah’s exhortation to the dispersed of Israel in Jeremiah 29:11 or  Paul’s reminder to Titus in Titus 1:1 and 2 or other similar passages, I find a hope that is solid and based in truth, that anchors us securely, regardless of our present circumstances, as we look to the future. I love how Paul teams up hope with faith and love in I Cor 13:13, and how the writer of Hebrews sees faith and hope as being intertwined in Hebrews 11:1. Hope is a pillar we can cling to in fair or stormy weather, a reminder of the promises of God for our lives now and forever. Like a door left slightly ajar, hope gives us a glimpse of eternity, and reminds us that God and his promises are real and trustworthy.

Our Firm Foundation of Hope

Every pillar and every bridge needs a firm foundation, and hope is no exception. It is in the person of Jesus, fully man, fully God, Creator and Sustainer of all things, who brought everything to completion by His work on the cross, that I find my hope.

As a contributor to the anthology Hope Connections, I am thrilled to share this hope with you. In my three pieces I have chosen to look at hope in three very different ways: a short story, a fairy tale, and a poem. Each one looks at hope from a different perspective: one examines a personal struggle to maintain hope, another cultivating purpose through hope, and, finally, an allegorical examination of the effect hope can have on humanity and the fight against evil.

Join in the conversation! What scripture versus keep you anchored in hope?