Hope Defined – 2 Kinds of Hope

#1 The secular definition of hope is a subjective expectation for good, otherwise known as wishful thinking.

#2 The biblical definition of hope is an expectation for good accompanied by the belief that it is obtainable, otherwise known as assured hope.¹ “The biblical definition of hope includes not only the act of confident expectation but also the object of it – ‘Christ Jesus our hope’ (1 Timothy 1:1).”²

“Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” ~Hebrews 11:1 NASB

Hope Assured

When hope is based on a Person and not our circumstances, we find an assurance for our hope. Hope assured stands on the sure foundation of Jesus Christ. Jesus assures us of:

• Love – John 15:9; 1 John 3:16
• Peace – John 14:27; Philippians 4:7
• Rest – Matthew 11:28
• Eternal Life – John 3:16, 10:28, 17:3; 1 John 5:11, 13

Hope in Christ Jesus is founded in God’s love, guarded by His peace, nestled into His rest, and rewarded with eternal life.

Hope Deferred

We must acknowledge that many of us have experienced deferred hope or hope not yet realized. We can become discouraged when we do not see the manifestation of our prayers answered or the promises of God fulfilled within a specific allotted time frame.

We must join with the heroes of faith in Hebrews 11.

“All these died in faith [guided and sustained by it], without receiving the [tangible fulfillment of God’s] promises, only having seen (anticipated) them and having welcomed them from a distance, and having acknowledge that they were strangers and exiles on the earth.” ~Hebrews 11:13 AMP

“Who through faith subdued kingdoms, worked out righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, quenched the power of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, from weakness were made strong, grew mighty in war, and caused foreign armies to flee.”

“Women received their dead by resurrection. Others were tortured, not accepting their deliverance, that they might obtain a better resurrection. Others were tried by mocking and scourging, yes, moreover by bonds and imprisonment.”

“They were stoned. They were sawn apart. They were tempted. They were slain with the sword. They went around in sheep skins and in goat skins; being destitute, afflicted, ill-treated – of whom the world was not worthy – wandering in deserts, mountains, caves, and the holes of the earth.”

“These all, having had testimony given to them through their faith, didn’t receive the promise, God having provided some better thing concerning us, so that apart from us they should not be made perfect.” ~Hebrews 11:33-40 WEB

Hope deferred can be trying when we are dealing with extreme cases of abuse, injustice, human trafficking, etc. We must remember the Righteous Judge will eventually weigh everything on His scales of justice.

“The eyes of the Lord are in every place, keeping watch on the evil and the good.” ~Proverbs 15:3 ESV

“A little while, and the wicked will be no more; though you look for them, they will not be found.” ~Psalm 37:10 NIV

“Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, ‘Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,’ says the Lord.” ~Romans 12:19 ESV

“God will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.” ~Revelation 21:4 ESV

Hope Entrusted

Hope enables us to entrust ourselves to the Righteous One and the knowledge that injustice will eventually be dealt with – if not here on earth, then in judgment. In Matthew 25, Jesus speaks of separating the righteous and unrighteous before His throne. The righteous will join Him in heaven and experience everlasting life, while the unrighteous will be sent to eternal punishment.⁴

Hope – Encouraging Ourselves in the Lord

As David encouraged Himself in the Lord, so must we. When our focus remains on Jesus, we realize everything is finished or complete in Him.

“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.” Hebrews 13:8 WEB

“But do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.” ~2 Peter 3:8 ESV

Based on this truth, it has been two days since Jesus rose from the dead. What seems like a long time to us, in the perspective of eternity, is a short time. In our time here on earth, may we be encouraged “since He always lives to make intercession” for us.⁵

If we have experienced abuse, betrayal, or grief in our spirit, soul, or body – we can choose our perspective of the past.

Will our past hardships, trials, or challenges lead us to a half-empty perspective of defeat as victims full of resentment, bitterness, and unforgiveness? Or will our past hardships lead us to a half-full perspective as overcomers who have victoriously triumphed over difficulty?

Overcomers have a triumphant testimony that is greater than ‘just surviving’ because God strengthens us by working everything together for our good.³

For example: Does God approve of abuse? No, He weeps for the one being traumatized. But He works it for good in making the survivor fearless in facing the darkness. And because of His greatness within the survivor – the once abused now rescues those being human trafficked. ~Based on a true story of a human traffick rescuer in the DFW Metroplex

Hope is our Antidote to Discouragement

As we have acknowledge the difference between secular and biblical hope, looked at hope assured and hope deferred, and leaned into hope entrusted to the Lord, which allows us to encourage ourselves in the Lord as overcomers who have a testimony. I pray you will be encouraged to persevere as you cultivate your faith and hope in the Lord.

Prayer for Hope

I am “confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ.”⁶ My prayer for you is:

“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing [through the experience of your faith] that by the power of the Holy Spirit you will abound in hope and overflow with confidence in His promises.” ~Romans 15:13 AMP

Recommendations

How to Find God – Strength with Dignity

Offense – To Be or Not to Be is the Ultimate Choice – Strength with Dignity

References

¹ Webster’s 1828 Dictionary. Retrieved September 24, 2024, from Websters Dictionary 1828 – Webster’s Dictionary 1828 – Hope

² What is the definition of hope? Published by Got Questions. Retrieved September 24, 2024, from What is the definition of hope? | GotQuestions.org

³ Romans 8:28

⁴ Matthew 25:31-46

⁵ Hebrews 7:25b NASB

⁶ Philippians 1:6 WEB

Amplified Bible (AMP) Copyright © 2015 by The Lockman Foundation, La Habra, CA 90631. All rights reserved.

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New American Standard Bible 1995 (NASB1995), copyright 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation.

New International Version (NIV) Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.®

World English Bible (WEB) by Public Domain. The name “World English Bible” is trademarked.