Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. (Heb 11:1-2)
A quick perusal of Amazon Books reveals how popular the title “The Power of Hope” is. I quit counting at twenty different authors. The same theme can be heard in TV commercials. To unlock the power of hope, we need a clear definition of true hope. First, we need to define what faith is. Biblical faith is taking God at His Word. (DJB) Biblical hope is believing from afar. (DJB)
The root meaning of the Hebrew term for hope is qawa, “to wait (qawa) or to look for with eager expectation.” (TWOT) It first occurred with this meaning when Jacob, on his deathbed, prophesied the future of his twelve sons:
“For Thy salvation I wait (qawa), O Lord.” (Gen 49:18)
Isaiah, using an anthropomorphism of God, contrasted God waiting in vain for His people to return to Him in righteousness. (Isa 1-5) Yet He is always true to His promises:
Why do you say, O Jacob, and assert, O Israel, “My way is hidden from the Lord, And the justice due me escapes the notice of my God”? Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth, does not become weary or tired. His understanding is inscrutable. He gives strength to the weary, and to him who lacks might, He increases power. Though youths grow weary and tired, and vigorous young men stumble badly, yet those who wait (qawa) for the Lord will gain new strength; They will mount up with wings like eagles, they will run and not get tired, they will walk and not become weary. (Isa 40:27-31)
In Ephesians 1:11ff., Paul notes that, as in the Old Testament, now in the New Testament, there are only two groups of people on earth: those who have no hope in God and those who are born of God and hope in Him and what He has promised, both Jews and Gentiles. As Paul concludes His letter to the believers in Rome, Jews and Gentiles, he ties hope in the New Testament to hope in the Old Testament:
And again Isaiah says, “There shall come the root of Jesse, And He who arises to rule over the Gentiles, In Him shall the Gentiles hope.” Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. (Rom 15:12-13; cf. w. Isa 11:1-11)
There is power in hope. But this is true only if the object of that hope is the promises of God through the root of Jesse, our Lord Jesus Christ. Any hope in this world may seem powerful, but it will fail if it is not rooted in God’s Word.
As the world continues to slide into chaos, what happens in the Middle East is worthy of our concern. Yet our hope is in Jesus.