Hope is a Goal-Setter
September 2023
When I looked up the opposite of hope, the words “despair” and “uncertainty” appeared. This is certainly a time when those who don’t have a relationship with God are in a state of despair, and uncertainty attempts to creep into our lives as well. But the psalmist and shepherd of Israel, (who was well acquainted with feelings of despair) said:
Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted within me? hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him, who is the health of my countenance, and my God. Psalm 42:11
Our only hope is in God who is our Keeper, our Great Shepherd, our Salvation. But…what a GREAT HOPE!
Say this with me, “The Lord is my Shepherd; I shall not want or lack anything. There is no lack of hope in God, so there is no lack of hope within me!”
In the enclosed pamphlet, Dad has explained so well the function of HOPE, which is as important as faith. He describes hope as a goal-setter like the thermostat on an air conditioner. If you have no hope or expectancy, there is nothing for faith to fulfill. Hope is always future tense. Faith is always now. When people say that they have “no hope,” they are saying they have nothing to look forward to in the future. They have no expectation of anything good.
When studying the Hebrew word for hope in the Old Testament, I found that hope comes from the Hebrew word tiqvah which is the word for “cord.” When David said in Psalm 71:5, “For You are my hope, O Lord God,” you could interpret it as, “You are my cord and connection to the future.” This same word tiqvah is used for the scarlet cord that Rahab tied in the window. That cord was her hope, expectation, and became her salvation. That cord of hope reached FAR INTO THE FUTURE because not only did she and her family survive, but through her lineage was birthed Jesus, the Savior.
Cords and ropes link things and hold fast. Hope will make you hold fast. It will link you to expectation and fulfillment of good things in the future if you DON’T GIVE UP and LET GO OF THE ROPE! There may be things that you have given up on. Maybe you don’t have hope for five years from now. Maybe you are believing for health, or struggling with family problems, or finances. I am praying for you, and…I am asking you to go where you can find some hope. The only place I know where any of us can get hope is in the Bible, the promises of God. I recommend that you start with Psalm 146. Then, for more encouragement, read Psalm 121-128.
David found encouragement and hope for the future. Hope and a future is waiting for you, also.
In Christ,
Annette Capps
Click Here to view this month's teaching by Charles Capps, Hope a Partner to Faith.
- Annette Capps