WRITTEN BY TIM LABRECHE
I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit. (Romans 15:13, NLT)
Hope.
We often use the word “hope” when we want something to happen but aren’t confident that it will come to pass.
“I hope that I don’t need a new hot water heater, even though there’s a puddle on the floor.”
“I hope I get good seats for the movie even though it starts in two minutes.”
“I hope to ace the final, even though I didn’t study for it.”
For many of us, hope seems to be improbable and filled with chance. But hope as a Christian is different. Our hope doesn’t rely on chance or luck, but rather on our Lord who is “the source of hope.” Hope focuses, not on things like hot water heaters, seats at the theater or a pre-calc test, but on the confidence of God at work in our lives and our world. Isaiah 40:31 (NIV) states:
“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.”
When looking up the original Hebrew definition of “hope” used here, it doesn’t give the “Boy, I hope God will come through in this situation for me” tone. It gives the connotation of waiting eagerly in expectation, knowing full-well it will work out to God’s plan and not ours. It goes on to say that when we place our hope (wait expectantly for God to work) in our lives and world, our strength will be renewed.
Before living in Iowa, we lived in West Michigan. When we were married in 1995, we attended a small church with a few hundred people in weekly attendance. Now, it’s a multi-campus church in the Grand Rapids area with thousands in weekly attendance. In ’95 there may have been probably no more than ten people on staff. I would now guess that there’s hundreds of staff members and volunteers serving weekly at the church. When I read Isaiah 40:31 above, the pastor of that church came to mind. Time and time again, I have seen and heard him passionately proclaim that his hope is not in man, circumstance or his bank account, but in the Lord. When I think of what it’s taken to grow that church and make disciples in the ways that it has, if this pastor and the rest of the leadership of the church were to lean on their own understanding, they would fail and be defeated. But, since they wait expectantly on the source of hope and follow where He leads, He has renewed their strength over and over and over again to continue to do what He has called them to do.
I love how these two pieces of scripture work together. Paul and Isaiah lived over 800 years apart, yet they both speak in unison of the overflowing hope that comes when we place our hope in God Almighty. Isaiah says that when we hope in the Lord, we will soar on wings like eagles, we will run and not grow weary, we will walk and not be faint. Paul says that we will be completely filled with joy and peace and be overflowing in hope.
I love the picture of overflowing with hope. I look at it like a snowball starting to roll down a hill. When the snowball starts it’s descent, it’s the size of a baseball, but as it continues to go down the hill, it not only gets bigger and bigger by more snow sticking to it, but it also goes faster and faster as it progresses. The same can be said when we place our hope in our Savior. It’s a cyclical process as I read it in Romans, when we place our hope in Him, he continually works in our lives and world and as we see and join Him in his work, He continues to give us more and more hope and confidence. It’s a beautiful cycle to be a part of!
Psalm 71:5-6a says, “For you have been my hope, O Sovereign Lord, my confidence since my youth. From birth I have relied on you…” It’s believed that David was the author of the particular Psalm. David killed a lion who was after his flock with his hands. He defeated a giant with a stone and a sling. There are multiple instances of David’s placing his hope (and literal life) in God’s hands and believing the outcome. In those times, we’ve seen what God did. Just as he wrote, David was confident in his Sovereign Lord.
What can we learn from these passages? How can we be encouraged? I believe it simply comes down to faith. A confident faith to believe that God is sovereign over all. We need not to be anxious or fear, but to wait eagerly in expectation, knowing full-well it will work out to God’s plan and not ours. When we do, we are filled to overflow with heavenly hope.
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Some other references to ‘hope’ found in God’s Word:
“Yes, my soul, find rest in God; my hope comes from him.” (Psalm 62:5, NIV)
“We remember before our God and Father your work produced by faith, your labor prompted by love, and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.” (1 Thessalonians 1:3, NIV)
I would encourage you to take some time and look up other times the word ‘hope’ is found throughout the Bible. I did this as I prepared to write this and was greatly encouraged by what I found. – Tim!
