Hope Is a Sure Thing

What does the word ‘hope” mean to you? Many of us understand hope as something vague that might happen. In our human understanding it may well be something we consider possible, but not necessarily a definite thing. We hope for things to get better or change for the good, for example to hope for good weather, to hope for healing or for our finances to work out.

When looking for a verse for this devotional, I was amazed to see how many times the words ‘confident’ and ‘hope’ appear in the same sentence and verse. This confirmed my realisation that hope in the Lord is not a vague thought; but that it’s actually something solid. It’s a definite truth to hold on to.

In today’s verse Paul writes that God is the source of hope. The source of anything is the beginning of that thing. If we believe and know that our God is sovereign, and that He encompasses goodness, then maybe we need to start looking at the true meaning of hope as He describes it in His Word, and compare it to how the world sees hope.

In Micah 7:7 we read: ‘As for me, I look to the Lord for help. I wait confidently for God to save me, and my God will certainly hear me’. There’s no insecurity and doubt in this verse; only a steadfast faith in God’s goodness, help and presence.

When we’re praying from a place of insecurity and panic, our focus has turned from God to what we think should be happening, and that’s what we consequently ask of the Lord. When experiencing a crisis, we actually want it to just go away immediately. This means that our circumstances are fuelling our actions and emotions. We then start praying with a worldly hope, and this becomes more of a wish than a steadfast hope in the God who’s our strength.

If we look at the verse in Micah 7:7 again, we notice that Micah wasn’t telling the Lord what to do, but he was declaring his faith in God, and in the fact that God hears him and will surely save him.

The Lord understands our human reactions to situations and has so much compassion with our hurts and fears, but He still wants us to learn how to rest in Him, even though our circumstances seem overwhelming. He wants us to put our trust and hope in Him; not in the outcome of our situation.

When we get to that quiet place in Him, regardless of our circumstances, we give Him the opportunity to speak to us in the midst of our crisis, hurt, pain or trauma. His words will be the strength and encouragement we need to carry on and He’ll guide us through the difficult times. This is our sure and confident hope – that He will save us and He certainly hears us. ‘Your Father knows what you need before you ask Him’ (Matthew 6:8).