The Real Meaning Of Hope

What is the real meaning of hope?

Being people of hope in the middle of darkness

The definition of hope according to the dictionary is a “feeling of expectation and desire for a
particular thing to happen” or “a feeling of trust”.

One of the most famous quotes on hope from the movie Shawshank Redemption is from Red, a man that has been in prison a long time, not knowing if it will be for life. He says

“Hope is a dangerous thing, my friend, it can kill a man…”

but also that

“Hope is a good thing, maybe even the best of things. And good things never die.”

I’ve heard it being said that hope is the last thing that dies, that simply hoping can keep a
human being alive. The hope to see loved ones again, the hope to beat the disease and the
hope of a better future.

Maybe this is true, but my question is more what is this hope connected to? What are we hoping for?

And as Christians, what is the real meaning of hope?

Let’s take a quick look in the Bible:

Bible Verses About The Real Meaning Of Hope

“Yes, my soul, find rest in God; my hope comes from him. Truly he is my rock and my
salvation; he is my fortress, I will not be shaken.”
Psalm 62:5-6

“That is why we labor and strive, because we have put our hope in the living God, who is
the Savior of all people, and especially of those who believe.”
1 Tim 4:10

“But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like
eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.”
Isaiah 40:31

“We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary
behind the curtain, where our forerunner, Jesus, has entered on our behalf.”
Heb 6:19-20

So what can we see here? We see that our hope comes from the Lord, and because of that we
will not be shaken. We see that we can work hard because our hope is in the living God.

If we put our hope in Him, He will renew our strength. We also see that the hope that we have in Him is an anchor for our soul, because of what Jesus has done for us. These are just some examples, the Bible is filled with verses that speak about the hope we have in God.

And that’s the thing; human beings need to have hope, but what God offers us is not just empty hope or wishful thinking. It’s hoping for something that is stronger than any darkness we might face, it’s understanding that in the end it’s about what is eternal, what will remain after this earth fades away.

Hope is not necessarily connected to give us a good and happy life here on earth, even though God is a good father and wants to give us good things. It’s about something so much bigger. Our hope is that we are not doomed to the death that we deserve, but that we have eternal life through Jesus.

This means that there are no circumstances that can steal our hope.

How To Hold On To Hope

Even though we may know these truths we also have an enemy that wants to do anything for us to lose hope, for us to feel like the circumstances we or someone else is in are too dark and the darkness around us finds its way in and we start to feel like we’ve lost hope.

Maybe the lie that God is not good after all finds its way in, maybe it’s that he has forgotten about us and that he simply doesn’t care. The spiritual realm is very real, and not just an abstract thought.

Sometimes it will feel really difficult to hold on to truth and to find hope. What has helped me a lot in these situations is to hold on to the words in the beginning of the gospel of John, that the light shines in the darkness and that the darkness will not overcome it.

I declare this, and sometimes maybe my mind and my heart are not convinced but I know just declaring
the truth is powerful. There is no darkness that is stronger than the light we have in God and that’s the truth.

When we carry conviction of hope in our hearts we can also become communicators of hope in a world that needs it so desperately. To communicate what hope we have in God and to be people that speak life in difficult situations.

We Get To Be A Part Of Spreading The Real Meaning Of Hope

The thing is, we are called to cooperate with God here, on this earth, not just wait until Jesus comes back and fixes it all. To be people that bring light and love and hope wherever we go.

We live in the tension of seeing the kingdom of God being expressed here on earth, we can see people encounter Him, to be healed and set free and have their lives transformed. But we also live in a world that is broken and that will also express itself in different ways.

In the middle of this we are called to be as ambassadors of Christ and the eternal hope we have in Him, to not just hide in a corner and wait for it to be over but to actually try to be an influence.

The world is in desperate need of hope. We have one of the unshakable kind. Sometimes it will take effort to communicate it, but it’s worth doing it even when it’s not received. Jesus is and will always be the name above all names.

We are not promised an easy life, but we are promised an eternal one together with Him.

Prayer:
Father, we thank you for the eternal hope we have because of what Jesus did on the
cross. Thank you that there is something that can be a firm foundation for us in our lives,
that we remain through any circumstance. Help us to communicate that to a broken world,
help us to bring hope into dark places and to never lose the hope we have in doing so. We
want to serve you forever. Amen.

Want To Read More?

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Hope to see you again soon!