HOPE
Our conversations are peppered with “I hope so.” I hope it doesn’t rain on the picnic. I hope the home team wins today. I hope the boss gives bonuses this year. We hope these things happen; then again, they may not.
When the Bible speaks of hope, it has an entirely different meaning. In the Scriptures, hope means a confident or sure expectation. Biblical hope is based on the character of God and the redemptive sacrifice of Jesus. We have hope because we have a Savior, a sovereign God, the return of Christ and a boatload of promises He gave us.
Hope is linked with faith and love. Hope is a great encouragement for believers young and old, especially in these disruptive days. The word appears so often in the Scriptures that we tend to skip over it with little reflection or application.
So why pay attention to this particular word? Because hope builds endurance and perspective as we walk with God.
This study series is designed for either personal study or a small group study and discussion. The Scriptures listed invite you to draw your own conclusions about hope. In both cases, interaction with others on the topic leads to far better understanding of Biblical hope.