Yesterday we looked at the first side of expectancy, trusting God with something not believing Him for something. I pray those little seeds are taking root in our lives as we begin to discern the difference in our everyday lives.
Today, side two:
2. Expectancy is true hope, not “getting our hopes up.”
Words are funny things, and powerful things. Sometimes, the meaning of our words gets mixed up. I remember a dear missionary friend who always said, in the foreign tongue, “I gotta just keep my eyes on Jesus!” and then one day realized with horror that all that time she’d been saying, “I gotta just keep my eggs on Jesus!”
Using the right word: It matters.
But the sad part is that often our words become defined by the world instead of by the Word. Love for example. The world would say that two people hooking up in a one-night-stand after drinking too much in a bar are “making love.” God’s definition is a little different. We have to rethink what our words mean, amen?
This is problem when we talk about hope. We think that “getting our hopes up” leads to disappointment, so our strategy is to not “get our hopes up” so that we won’t get disappointed.
In the world’s dictionary, we might read: “Hope = Disappointment.”
These are the words we use. However, what is the ONE thing we KNOW about hope from Scripture?
“Hope does not disappoint.” Romans 5:5
This is God’s definition of hope. God’s definition isn’t tied to expectations, circumstances, or result. True hope, as defined by God’s Word, does not disappoint.
This is the hope that God’s Word speaks of:
Why are you so downcast oh my soul? HOPE IN GOD. (Psalm 42 & 43)
Hope is not in a person, a circumstance, or an outcome. Hope is in the character of God. Hope does not disappoint. So this is a fabulous way to determine if I’m hoping God’s way. So even last week, something happened that caused a mild disappointment. It wasn’t a big deal, but it caused me to realize that I was hoping as the world hopes–in an outcome–rather than as God’s Word tells me to hope–in His beautiful sovereignty and goodness.
With expectancy.
How do you define hope? Do you find yourself trying to simple “not get your hopes up” to avoid disappointment? Let’s dig for something deeper, something greater, a hope in God’s goodness, a hope that’s filled with holy expectancy. Thanks for reading.