Let’s get right to the heart of the matter from the get go: never mistake prayer or faith for wishing!
Wishing will always carry an element of doubt. We do not live by the old ‘I cross my fingers and hope for the best’ type of inner plea, or base our tomorrows on “wishing upon a star, or a lotto-win, or the rainbow.”
We Don't Walk by Wishing!
We walk by faith, never by wishing. “I wish God would heal me” “I wish God would provide.” “I wish God would do this or that…”
Wishing (or hoping to be ‘divinely lucky’ somehow LOL) is usually very passive, relies on chance or luck in external circumstances or the benevolent whims of an impersonal universe (and this belief is everywhere on social media), and at its core it is devoid of any deep-rooted faith in the promises of God that fuels TRUE HOPE.
Biblical hope is the opposite of ‘wishing upon that nebulous universal star’, and biblical hope carries no doubt.
In fact, the word hope in Greek New Testament is
ἐλπίς elpis
and it indicates “an earnest expectation of something about which there is no doubt at all.”
Abraham was fully convinced and did not waver at the promises of God; so why should I ever need to waver at the promises of God.
I daily remind myself, “Steve, do I have this expectation of the supernatural power of hope. Steve, have great confidence that God will be true to His Word?”
I’ve seen a lot of comments on social media from well meaning preachers and authors about the ‘benefits of uncertainty’ or that you can ‘never be certain of anything, even God’—what a load of post-modern theological guff!
Promoting uncertainty as some sort of spiritual virtue that we can learn to live with will eventually undermine the confidence and hope that believers are meant to have in their relationship with God. It will lead to spiritual instability, waning hope, lack of direction and even a possible abandonement of the faith in years to come. Trust me, I experimented with this theological foolishness and found it wanting.
So, NO, I am not going to ‘embrace my doubts’; but rather ‘cast down every high thing that exalts itself over the knowledge of God.’
I would rather agree with James when he says, “But when you ask, YOU MUST BELIEVE AND NOT DOUBT, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. Such a person is double-minded and unstable in all they do.”
And one simple word here from Jesus will suffice. Thomas was once doubting that Jesus rose from the dead. Jesus did not counsel him to live with his doubts and uncertainty, but corrected him with “Thomas, reach here thy finger, and behold my hands; and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into my side: and BE NOT FAITHLESS, but believing.”
That is good enough for me, and it should be good for you also: BE NOT FAITHLESS, BUT BELIEVING.
And that BELIEVING is an ongoing and present tense believing—not something you once believed five or ten years ago, believing is to be new and fresh every morning.
Yes, WE CAN EXPECT marvels, wonders and extraordinary manifestations, open doors, abundant favor, and blessing—but that expectation has a beginning foundation, and that foundation is to anchor your soul in HOPE.
Perhaps it is time to stop your soul from drifting into doubts murky waters. Instead, cast your anchor of hope into the deep waters of His Word and let it go down deep and grip fast to the rock of His promises. IT WILL HOLD!
What is your current ‘impossibility’?
We may have done all we can in the NATURAL, but God wants to add his SUPER to our NATURAL.
We may have, so to speak, 'torn the roof of a house and been lowered down on a mat to find relief from what is crippling you, in other words, we've done all we know in that natural 'to get Jesus' attention'. But just wait till God adds his super to the natural.
And I also wonder if many times we need to quit trying to work things out in the natural altogether (trying to birth a promise of God through the flesh is fraught with future dangers)—which if we are not careful can create an Ishmael. We need to find a place of divine rest and simply let God do the miracle!
So how do we use hope as a believer?
How do we ACCESS the HOPE OF GOD in our recreated human spirit?
What will a SUPERNATURAL HOPE produce in our life?
How can you see through the EYES OF HOPE?
Hope is the Blueprint of Faith
Circumstances may seem absolutely hopeless; your unanswered prayers (of weeks, months and even years) may have caused you to give up and sink into a state of resentment or bitterness towards God; the current state of your imagination and expectations may lie at an all time low, one you have never experienced before...
BUT... (and thank God for His divine BUTS)
The Word says that we have something of God's hope deposited in our souls, this
"hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and stedfast.” (Heb 6:19)
And in Hebrews 11:1, we read, "Now faith is the confidence in what we hope for and the assurance about what we do not see." We may only see financial lack, or a sickness or an ongoing medical condition, and then there are those periods of anguish and worry—whatever the situation or circumstance—hope will anchor your faith in God and give you the ability to see His solution.
Those verses illustrate the connection between hope and faith. Here’s how hope acts as a blueprint for faith:
Vision and Expectation
Hope creates a clear picture of what we believe for in our hearts. Just as an architect’s blueprint guides the construction of a building, hope provides a vision for our faith to pursue. We have to learn to ‘see the unseen’ possibilities of the promises of God. Hope always catches a glimpse before the natural eye is even aware that things can change!
Foundation for Action
Faith acts on the basis of hope. “Take up you mat and walk,” it says to the paralytic. “Blow the trumpets and shout at Jerichos walls”
Without hope, faith has no direction. Hope reveals expectations. Hope outlines the promises and possibilities. Then faith works to bring that expectation into reality. Hope gives you the picture of what God's will and desire is for you through the Word of God.
Are you in financial need? God is your El-Shaddai; your Abundant Provider. He delights in your prosperity and provision and He adds no sorrow to it.
Are you in physical need or ongoing sickness? God is your Jehovah Rapha and Healer. He is the Lord who ‘heals all your diseases.’
Are you in spiritual need? And the entire planet is! Then Jesus’ very name means the Lord Saves — “you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.” The Greek name Jesus is a translation of the Hebrew name Joshua, which means "the Lord is salvation.”
Motivation and Direction
Hope motivates us to take steps of faith. It keeps us focused on God’s promises and drives us to action, even when circumstances seem contrary. It generates within our spirit that supernatural expectancy—but be careful here, for the mind can drift in two directions without HOPE—you may be expecting BAD or GOOD. God is ALWAYS GOOD and His Word is ALWAYS GOOD, and His promises are ALWAYS GOOD.
Endurance & Encouragement
When facing challenges, obstacles, and delays, hope keeps us anchored. It reminds us of the end goal and gives us the perseverance to continue in faith, knowing that the blueprint (hope) is based on God’s unchanging promises. I continually remind myself of this by having a small stone on my desk carved with these words from Psalm 77, “You are the God who performs miracles.”
When God promised Abraham that he would be the father of many nations, Abraham was already 100 years old and had no children.
From a natural perspective, all hope seemed lost. His advanced age and the barrenness of his wife Sarah presented insurmountable obstacles. In the physical realm, the situation appeared utterly hopeless.
Yet, Abraham's hope was not based on what he could see or understand naturally.
Be like Abraham.
Everything Starts as a Seed
Everything starts as a seed in the Kingdom of God (and even in the natural realm) - a baby starts as a seed, apple trees start as a seed, faith starts as a seed, and so does hope!
Start planting the seeds of hope inside your spirit.
Jesus told us the whole kingdom of God is compared to a man who plants a mustard seed in the ground. Even though that seed is the smallest seed there is, it grows up and becomes greater.
Once faith is planted, you have to feed and water it with the WORD of God. The WORD is what energizes hope and makes it strong.
Bible HOPE is RADICAL HOPE (remember it is NOT worldly wishing).
It refers to an unwavering confidence in the future, a belief in the potential for positive change even in the most difficult or seemingly hopeless situations - this is what anchors your soul - especially in all the turbulent waters of life in these times.
It is a hope that goes beyond the ordinary, challenging natural assumptions and pushing all boundaries of what is truly possible.
Hope anchors faith in the soul to bring healing, prosperity, blessing and stability in the things of God. It requires courage, resilience, and a firm belief in the promises of God which carry THE SEED for total life transformation. Even our future bodily resurrection is without a doubt at the end of this age!
Hope as a blueprint has the supernatural ability to stir up inside you a sense of expectancy about what God has promised. If you feed on God’s promises, hope grows. And when hope grows, faith grows.
So you think you have a HOPELESS CASE? Consider briefly the demon possessed…
“Bring him hither to me.” says Jesus — Matthew 17:17.
Just look at what The Hope Bringer does in this hopeless situation!
The disciples were baffled.
The parents were baffled.
The parents were hopeless.
Maybe you are baffled and hopeless over some person, situation or thing. I know I have been at times, but the HOPE BRINGER IS NOT.
Hopelessness births despair, doubt, and uncertainty—that wavering like the tossed sea! Hope births faith. Hope anchors faith.
Christ will not be outdone by Satan or by sin or by old habits or by impossible circumstances!
He is worthy to be trusted.
He deserves my confidence.
His Word can be relied upon.
An ocean of eternal hope is ready and waiting for you to take hold of.
The “earnest expectation” mechanism I mentioned above is within you—this supernatural force called hope—takes over your imagination and causes you to see God’s promises fulfilled in your life.
Let’s visit Abraham again - who against hope (WORLDLY HOPE / WISHING) believed in hope, that he might become the father of many nations…and being not weak in faith, he considered not his own body now dead (THE HOPELESSNESS HE FACED), when he was about an hundred years old, neither yet the deadness of Sara’s womb (THE HOPELESSNESS HE FACED AGAIN): He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God;
Abraham - the father of faith, maybe he is also the FATHER OF HOPE!
That’s why the Bible says to “lay hold upon the hope” (Hebrews 6:18).
’to lay hold’ - krateō - κρατέω in Greek
To lay hold means to sink your spiritual teeth into something and to refuse to let go, be like an old bulldog and sink those jaws into the meat of God’s Word - knowing it’s working—regardless of how you feel, regardless of what the circumstances look like, regardless of what the devil (or anyone else!) says.
Know you have HOPE in your reborn spirit. All things have become new!
What is it that ABIDES IN YOU?
"And now ABIDETH faith, HOPE, charity [love], these three; but the greatest of these is charity," says Paul. And why is love the greatest? Because faith which is energized by hope, works by love.
Abide means they have ‘taken up residence’ inside you! To lay hold of HOPE means we lay hold of the WORD and rest in the promises of GOD.
Jesus is the HOPE BRINGER.
Look not at the circumstances - in other words, let the Voice of Hope be greater than the moan of the circumstances.
Hope is integral to the life of a believer. It is a confident expectation rooted in God's promises and faithfulness. By anchoring our hope in God, accessing it through our recreated human spirit, meditating on the promises and understanding its supernatural impact, we can live lives marked by joy, peace, miracles, endurance, and boldness.
Perhaps you’ve heard well-meaning people say, “Don’t get your hopes up!”
They are trying to save you from disappointment.
“Be realistic,” they say. “God is not going to do that!”
But seeing Jericho’s walls crumble at a shout was unrealistic, watching a man born blind gain his sight for the first time is unrealistic, raising a dead girl is unrealistic; seeing Jesus walk on water or walk out of a tomb after being dead three days is unrealistic. “Be realistic,” they continue to say.
Miracles, signs and wonders ARE UNREALISTIC to the natural mind.
The promises of God ARE UNREALISTIC to the natural mind.
Ah, but HOPE will fuel your faith and take you to a place of victory through Christ Jesus.
Hope is the blueprint for a victorious walk in the things of God.
“Well, I just don’t know the will of God for my life?”
But His promises ARE His will for YOU.
So, no matter what, don’t give up—and above all things: get your hopes up!
