Day Two

by Tana Fleming

“But those who hope in (wait on) 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.” -Isaiah 40:31

How does one even begin to talk about, to explain hope? It’s such a nebulous thing; it can’t be held, or seen, only felt in the heart. For those of us who strive to understand hope, who try to “muster up” hope, there is hope (pun intended). Because hope is not something we have to manufacture or pursue.

What it is not: As one of the most misused words today, biblical hope is not wishful thinking, as in, “I hope we win the ballgame,” or “I hope the weather stays pretty.” In these instances we are expressing wishes for a specific outcome. Furthermore, hope is not simply an optimistic outlook in regard to circumstances.

In Scripture, hope is an eager, confident expectation. But an expectation in what? Or better, in whom? As Isaiah said, “hope in the Lord.” Our hope, our waiting with confident expectation, is in a person, not a wishful outcome.

Hope does not exist without faith. They are bound together in the past, present and future. Because God has been faithful in the past, we can have renewed strength (faith) in the present and look towards a future with confident expectation (hope).

The Hebrew word for hope, tikvah, means cord or rope and comes from the root word that means to bind or wait upon. The first time tikvah is used is in the second chapter of Joshua. The scarlet cord, tikvah, Rahab tied to the window was her hope–her confident expectation as she waited–that the spies would be faithful to their promise to spare her family.

The true meaning of hope came into my life 30 years ago. It was a gift from one of my closest friends, a beautiful young wife and mother who loved the Lord, ministered to the poor, and brought joy wherever she went. So, when she was diagnosed with cancer, I had faith that God would heal her and my hope was in that outcome. Her hope, however, was in God, and as she waited on him, her strength was renewed and her faith became palpable. Her expectation was in God and his faithfulness. She was not healed of cancer this side of heaven; the outcome was not what I wanted. But I learned that what I thought was hope was actually a desperate cry for a specific outcome. I was clinging to a specific outcome instead of clinging to God and his faithfulness.

Without hope, we will be tossed and thrown by any number of circumstances. But with hope, that cord that binds us to God, we will have strength and joy. We will even soar like eagles!

It is in community where we encourage and strengthen each other, as we wait on the Lord, as we wait with confident expectation on the One who has been and Who will be faithful in all circumstances.

He bids us build each other up; And, gathered into one, To our high calling’s glorious hope, We hand in hand go on. -Charles Wesley

PRAYER

Father, thank you that we have a living hope in Jesus, who binds us to you. I pray for any who have lost hope, that you will renew their strength so they will not grow weary but soar like eagles for your glory.