What comes to mind when you hear the word hope? For me, hope is many things. Hope is a person. She is the main character in my book Rescuing Hope. She was my best friend in college, who introduced me to my husband.
Hope is also something you hang onto when all appears lost. It is a feeling that keeps you going. Those are definitions courtesy of yours truly, but what do the experts say hope is?
Hope is defined as,
the state which promotes the desire of positive outcomes related to events and circumstances in one’s life or in the world at large.” [Wikipedia]
to desire with the expectation of obtainment; to expect with confidence.” [Webster]
the feeling that what is wanted can be had or that events will turn out for the best; a person or things which expectations are centered.” [Dictionary.com]
Where do you place your hope? If in a person, you will be disappointed, because whether intentionally or unintentionally, people will let us down. It is a fact beyond their control to do otherwise. However, there is One we can place our hope in who will never fail us or let us down.
Psalm 25:3 says,
No one whose hope is in You will ever be put to shame, but they will be put to shame who are treacherous without excuse.”
Psalm 33:18 promises,
But the eyes of the LORD are on those who fear Him, on those whose hope is in His unfailing love.”
Psalm 146:5 declares,
Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the LORD His God.”
And Jeremiah 14:22 reminds us why we can put our hope in Jesus and be at peace:
Do any of the worthless idols of the nations bring rain? Do the skies themselves send down showers? No, it is you, O LORD our God. Therefore our hope is in You, for You are the one who does all this.”
Others may make promises or talk a good game, but when the rubber hits the road, there is only One who has proven faithful and worthy of the hope we place in Him and that is Jesus. He will never leave you nor forsake you [Deuteronomy 31:6,8]. He is faithful and true [Psalm 33:4]. We can trust Him with whoever or whatever is troubling us and know He’s got it.
When I sign my book for people, I always write, “Raise your voice for hope” and it carries multiple meanings to me. It means,
- raise your voice for Hope from the story Rescuing Hope and all the other Hopes like her out there who are caught in the horror of human sex trafficking. They are not voiceless as many claim, but they are unable to speak up for themselves. Their voices have been silenced and they are counting on you and me to become their voice; to speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves as Proverbs 31:8 says.
- raise your voice for Jesus, for He is our only true hope in life [Psalm 33:20].
So, what came to your mind when you first read the word hope? Has your definition changed?
Leave A Comment