Tag: hope

How do you take that response?

Will she? Or Won’t she?

Is it said brightly, or grimly?

With a strong voice, or a shaky one?

Either way, I hope so seems like a cup of positivity, with a spoonful of doubt.

But that’s not how it’s always been.

You see, language changes.

Merriam Webster Dictionary gives a shout out to what the word hope used to mean:

Archaic. That’s old.

It means the word is no longer is used as “trust”.

Instead, we use it to express a wish or desire that we know may not come to pass.

I hope so.

So how does the Bible talk about hope?

The word used is ἐλπίς (elpis).

From the Greek Strong’s Dictionary, it means to anticipate, usually with pleasure… expectation or confidence.

ἐλπίς is mentioned over 54 times in the New Testament.

You can find each one yourself by reading all the way through… or by downloading a study app like Olive Tree.

To really get a feel for what hope means in the Bible, you should find all the verses that mention hope.

Spend time reading and taking notes about how the word is used in each verse.

Here’s a place to start:

For whatever was written in earlier times was written for our instruction, so that through perseverance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.

Romans 15:4

This is where it all comes together.

The Scripture is written for us.

As we persevere through our painful situations, we are encouraged by reading the Scriptures. The Scriptures have amazing accounts of men and women who cried out to God in their desperation… and He answered them.

When they were too weak to save themselves, He was mighty.

He came through for them.

That’s our expectation.

As we read the Scriptures and get to know the awesome character of God,

We can have confidence that He will also answer us.

Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you will abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Romans 15:13

This scenario played out a lot in my teenage years.

When I bemoaned some insurmountable difficulty at school or work that threatened to disrupt my otherwise blissful life, I was met with sympathy and a good dose of reality.

“You know what? Life is hard.”

Usually, the situation worked itself out.

It wasn’t fun, but I got over it.

Along the way I grew to understand that life is not easy, but it does go on.

And giving up isn’t an option.

But as I became an adult, I found that problems got bigger.

More complex.

Heartaches intensified.

Dilemmas didn’t resolve.

Decisions were made, regretted, and made again.

I saw friends and family walk through dark days.

And I did, too.

As the years went by, I felt it even more strongly:

No, life isn’t easy.

And giving up isn’t an option.

So how do we get through difficult situations?

For whatever was written in earlier times was written for our instruction, so that through perseverance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.

Romans 15:4

Perseverance.

Encouragement (Comfort).

Hope.

Throughout the next few blog posts, we’ll dig deeper and focus on these three key concepts from God’s word.