Andrew Boyd
“Hope” in most cases is likened to a wish. Phrases such as, “I hope the weather holds out” or “I hope we can pull off a win” are common phrases in our modern English language. However, for Christians, hope is not merely a fanciful desire but a calling to a much deeper meaning. The Psalmist would write, “Behold, the eye of the LORD is on those who fear Him, on those who hope in His steadfast love, that He may deliver their soul from death and keep them alive in famine” (Ps. 33:18-19). Even during the time when the blood of bulls and goats could not wash away sins, there were those who hoped in His steadfast love. This was not a wish, or a fanciful desire, but true reliance upon the LORD. The Christian’s hope plays a pivotal role in our spiritual journey, providing direction toward our heavenly goal, strength to withstand trials, and endurance to finish the race.
The Christian hope provides us with direction towards our heavenly goal. A seasoned outdoorsman owns and uses a compass which helps him identify a bearing. Hope is our compass and anchor! The Hebrew writer states that Enoch, Noah and Abraham “all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off were assured of them…” (Heb. 11:13). Moses chose the suffering and affliction of the Israelites because he “…esteemed the reproaches of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt, for he looked to the reward.” (Heb. 11:26). These men rested in God’s unfailing character that He cannot lie and so took hold of the hope set before them (Heb. 6:17-18).
These men did not physically have a tool to identify their bearing but had “faith in the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not yet seen” (Heb. 11:1). They grew as they faced challenges and pressed forward because of their hope. In Romans 8, Paul states that Christians were eagerly “…waiting for the adoption, the redemption of our body” (vs.23), “For we were saved in this hope…” (vs. 24-25). This hope creates in us a longing to be in the presence of our Father and comforted in His arms. This hope anchors a Christian’s soul (Heb. 6:19) because God’s love has been poured out in our hearts (Rom. 5:5). It is with this hope that the Christian can find their Heavenly bearing and prevail no matter the difficulty.
The Christian’s hope is pivotal in our role to stand firm no matter the trials that come our way. The faith of our Biblical fathers stood firm resting solely on the hope set before them. Unto their last breath they did not denounce their reliance upon the Savior but rested in hope. Christians must realize that we will be tested by various trials, “that the genuineness of [our] faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ” (1 Pt. 1:6-7). So where do we find the strength for when we have done all to stand firm? By hope. Paul writes in 2 Corinthians about this hope: “So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal” (2 Cor. 4:16-18). These momentary afflictions, pale in comparison to the hope of the unseen… eternity with our Father and Savior. The Christian hope looks toward the day when unseen, eternal blessings are made visible, giving us strength to endure and stand firm.
The Christian hope provides us with endurance to finish the race. Paul writes to Timothy, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Finally, there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day…” (2 Tim.4:6-8). Paul was stoned, scourged, beaten, imprisoned, and shipwrecked spending a night and a day in the deep. He suffered the loss of companions; he fought against false teachers and those who would attack his reputation. Despite all that occurred, we see that Paul’s love for the Lord and his Christian hope provided him with the sustenance to endure.
Paul is not a man defeated, but a man who writes his last letter to Timothy with the confidence of his reward. The Christian’s hope is not a fanciful desire, a wish born aloft on the wings of uncertainty, but the certainty of the home prepared for all those who answer the call. This hope creates in us a longing for the day, when we open our spiritual eyes and see our Father and His Son welcoming us home. In this hope, we find direction back to the Father, strength to stand firm against the trials, and endurance to finish the race.
