A Hope that is Certain

I have started a little mini-study on hope as revealed in the Bible.  Hope is one of those words that sounds really wishy washy.  When we hope for something, there is no real assurance that it will happen.  It is kind of a wing and a prayer.  A while back a guy published a sales book called "Hope is not a Strategy".  Great book.  I tell our co-workers all the time that hope is not a strategy.  We can't hope for something without fixing the conditions that make it happen.

In the bible, however, hope is a much more active term.  When we put our hope in what God says, it is as good as done.  I never really thought about that difference.  Yes, our hope is certain.  Read through the references of hope in Christ.  For example, Hebrews 11:1 - "Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see".  I don't usually think of hope and sure or certain in the same sentence.  Romans 5:5 says that hope does not disappoint us.  I know many times in my daily life, I hope for something and that hope disappoints.  I really hoped for the Cavs to win an NBA championship this year and I was severely disappointed.  But my hope was not grounded in something that is certain.   My hope in God is absolutely grounded in what is certain.  It is as good as done.  It does test our faith however because we don't see it and it is yet to come.  So while it is certain, we still must have faith to believe it.

In future posts, we will unpack this truth.  At least, I sure hope so.