Statements such as “I think so” and “I hope so” communicate probabilities and uncertainties rather than
assurance and certainty. Both statements are responses to questions seeking a certain type of affirmation. Four husbands were asked if they loved their wives. The first husband’s response was “I think so.” The second husband replied “I hope so.” The third husband took a little longer but he eventually said, "I really don't know." He was honest at least. The fourth husband said “ Certainly I know I love my wife.” It is clearly evident which one of this four men loves his wife with certainty. The hope that we read about in the lives of people in the Bible is neither like the statement of the first man nor that of the second or even the third man. It is more like that of the fourth husband. The hope that we read about in the lives of people in the Bible is neither like the statement of the first man nor that of the second man. The hope in the Bible speaks of assurance and certainties rather than probabilities and uncertainties. It is not the type of hope that is based on the probabilities of something happening but one that is rooted in the assurance of the fulfillment of God’s promises in the lives of people. The promise is of God and the hope is for us [Acts 2: 49].
Paul states “For in hope we have been saved, but the hope that is seen is not hope; for who hopes for what he already sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, with perseverance we wait eagerly for it.” [Romans 8: 24-25]. Though one cannot behold with the eye what one hopes for, one can believe it in the spirit. What really makes hope spiritual is its connection to the promises of God. Any hope that is not connected to the promises of God is not hope but a mere wish. As such, you cannot have hope in the promises of God without first believing in the person of God [Hebrews 11: 6]. How could one hope for the promises of a God that he does not believe in?
There are at least three other things that work together with hope. One is faith. The second is time. And the third is patience. In hope there is a time of promise and in hope there is a time of waiting. And in hope there is also a time of fulfillment. Hope operates within the frame of time simply on the basis that the promises of God are made and fulfilled within a particular time frame determined only by Him. Though God is neither bound by time nor view time in the same way man does, He nevertheless recognizes and uses time on our behalf and for our sake. Some of the prophecies, or if you prefer, some of the promises of God, were proclaimed in real time and with specific time of fulfillment. Other promises though made by God in real time were open promises and therefore do not contain specific time of fulfillment. Nevertheless, the time of fulfillment for all promises of God always comes in the fullness of God’s own time [Galatians 4: 4].
Most of the time you would spend in hope would be time spent in perseverance. And this is where patience comes into the picture. As the Bible classifies it, patience is a spiritual rather than a material gift from God [Galatians 5: 22]. Patience also calls for forbearance in the process of waiting for that which was promised by God. And with the forbearance comes the perseverance. And I'm sure you are dying to know how the Richard, Brenda, and Nikki's love triangle concluded. Oh! I thought you had forgotten. It's really not bad as you were expecting. Richard walked out on Nikki one day. By then he was certain that he loved his wife. And they did lived happily there after. And this has been one page from my Inspirational Files, I'm Richard James.
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