Daily Prayer - What is hope?

Good Tuesday morning, my friends.

 

What does that mean to hope?

 

Is it a wishy washy maybe or a kind of unsure optimism? The modern idea of hope is "to wish for, to expect, but without certainty of the fulfillment; to desire very much, but with no real assurance of getting your desire."

 

In Scripture, according to the Hebrew and Greek words translated by the word "hope" and according to the biblical usage, hope is an indication of certainty. "Hope" in Scripture means "a strong and confident expectation." Though archaic today in modern terms, hope is akin to trust and a confident expectation (source: http://bible.org/article/hope).

 

What we hope for is the future predicted by Isaiah:

This is what Isaiah son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem:
In the last days

 

the mountain of the Lord's temple will be established
    as the highest of the mountains;
it will be exalted above the hills,
    and all nations will stream to it.
Many peoples will come and say,

"Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord,
    to the temple of the God of Jacob.
He will teach us his ways,
    so that we may walk in his paths."
The law will go out from Zion,
    the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.
He will judge between the nations
    and will settle disputes for many peoples.
They will beat their swords into plowshares
    and their spears into pruning hooks.
Nation will not take up sword against nation,
    nor will they train for war anymore.
Come, descendants of Jacob,
    let us walk in the light of the Lord. (Isaiah 2:1-5)

Hope is the theme of this first week of Advent.  Let us hope in the biblical sense, with the confidence that God will fulfill every one of His promises.

 

 

Grace and peace and hope be yours in abundance,

Bruce

 

 

Lord Jesus Christ,
who is, who was, and who is to come,
we pray for the virtue of hope,
that amidst the trials and difficulties
of this world,
we may keep our hearts fixed
upon you, who reigns over the cosmos.

May your grace enliven us,
strengthen us,
and defend us,
as we await your coming in glory.

 

Amen

 

(http://www.churchyear.net/adventprayers.html)