Hope

A great benefit and blessing for the Christian is hope. It ties in with joy. We have joy in part because we have hope that God's promises are real and will be fulfilled. Hope is believing in what we can't see (Romans 8:24). Hope is a confident expectation.

In everyday speech the word "hope" often takes on a different meaning than the meaning of Christian hope. Many times the word "hope" is used in, "I hope you have a good day." In cases like these "hope" means "wish." Wishes aren't things we know for certain, and that's a major difference between wishes and Christian hope. Words often mean different things in different settings.

When I was a child, I loved hearing the story over and over again of Simeon (Luke 2:25-35). He was waiting for the Messiah. "It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord's Christ." Each day he was growing older, but he waited in expectation. And he saw Jesus. What he hoped for happened. The Messiah was born.

What a great story. And one that we all can relate to. We have hope that we will see Jesus. We will someday see face to face what we now see in a mirror dimly (1 Corinthians 13:12).

We also have hope that he is there interceding for us at the right hand of God, and that he has sent his spirit to be with us every moment.

"Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my salvation and my God" (Psalm 42:5).