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The Language of Hope
We constantly speak in hope language:
âI hope my company does well.â
âI hope he isnât mad at me.â
âI hope God really does answer prayer.â
âI sure hope it doesnât rain tomorrow.â
âI hope this sickness isnât something serious.â
If you are a human being, you hope. You attach your security, your sense of peace and rest to something every day. The question is not whether you hope, but what holds your hope. You and I are on a constant quest for hope. We all want a reason to get up in the morning and motivation to continue. Here are some things you have to know about hope:
1. You hope in something.
You could argue that the life of a human being is propelled by hope. From the little momentary hope of the young child for food or a toy to the profound hope of the young adult for meaning and purpose, we all hope. We all place our hope in someone or something, and we ask that person or that thing to deliver something to us. Youâre always reaching for hope and preaching to yourself the validity of what you reach for. What are you placing your hope in right now?
2. What you place your hope in will set the direction of your life.
Whether you know it or not, your life path is directed by hope. Whether itâs hope in a philosophy, a person, a dream, a location, or whatever, your life will be shaped by what you place your hope in. Your hope shapes the way you live. Your hope causes you to make the decisions that you make. A lack of hope causes you to feel stuck and de-motivated. Confident hope makes you decisive and courageous. Wobbly hope makes you timid and indecisive. Hope is not just something you do with your brain. You always live your hope in some way.
3. Hope always includes an expectation and an object.
I am hoping for something and hoping that someone or something will deliver it.
4. Hope, to be hope, has to fix what is broken.
Hope that does not address your needs isnât very hopeful. You place your hope in your mechanic only if he has the ability to fix whatâs broken on your car.
5. Most of our hopes disappoint us.
We all do it. We place our hope in things in this fallen world that simply canât deliver. Your spouse canât make you happy. Your job wonât make you content. Your possessions canât satisfy your heart. Your physical health wonât give you inner peace. Your friends canât give you meaning and purpose. When our hopes disappoint us, it is a sign that weâve put our hopes in the wrong things.
6. There are only two places to look for hope.
The theology of hope is quite simple. There are only two places to put your hope. You rest the hope of your life in the hands of the Creator or you look to the creation for hope.
7. Hope in God is sure hope.
When you hope in the Lord, you not only hope in the One who created and controls the universe, but also in One who is glorious in grace and abounding in love. Now, thatâs hope that is well placed and will never disappoint. Hope is a person, and his name is Jesus!
The Gospel Truth
Here is the radical truth of the gospel. Hope is not a situation. Hope is not a location. Hope is not a possession. Hope is not an experience. Hope is more than an insight or a truism. Hope is a person, and his name is Jesus! He comes to you and makes a commitment of hope: âAnd behold, I am with you always, to the end of the ageâ (Matt. 28:20).
Now, thereâs hope. You have something profoundly deeper to hold on to than the hope that people will be nice to you, that your job will work out, that you will make good choices when tempted, that youâll be smart enough to make good decisions, that youâll be able to avoid poverty or sickness, or that youâll have a good place to live and enough to eat. No, this is eternal and deeply personal hope. It rests in the truth that Jesus has wrapped his powerful arms around you and he will never, ever let you go. If nothing you envisioned ever works out and all the bad things that youâve dreaded come your way, you still have hope, because he is with you in power and grace.
This is a guest article by Paul David Tripp, author of New Morning Mercies: A Daily Gospel Devotional. This post originally appeared on crossway.org; used with permission.
Paul David Tripp (DMin, Westminster Theological Seminary) is a pastor, author, and international conference speaker. He is also the president of Paul Tripp Ministries. He has written a number of popular books on Christian living, including What Did You Expect?, Dangerous Calling, Parenting, and New Morning Mercies. He lives in Philadelphia with his wife Luella and they have four grown children.
