Hope

Hope

Overview

It would interest my readers to know that there are many key words and ideas in the Holy Bible that cannot be missed, example include among others, hope, faith, love, grace, mercy etc. these are come across daily as we read the bible, but for some they are ambiguous ideas. One of such words shall be looked at in this writeup using bible as the template.

Definition of Hope

In the Old Testament of the Bible, about 16 Hebrew words were translated to mean Hope while it is two that the Greek translated to mean hope in the New Testament.

In the book of Ruth 1:12 the Hebrew word for hope is, “תּקוה”, tiqvâh (pronounced as tik-vaw') which means cord, expectancy, expectation. In the book of Ezra 10:2 the Hebrew word for hope there is “מּקוא מקוה מקוהo”, if Romanized it is miqveh miqvêh miqvê' (phonetical spelling is mik-veh', mik-vay', mik-vay') and it means something waited for, confidence.

In the book of Job 6:11 the Hebrew word translated as hope there is “יחל”, yâchal, (phonetic spelling is yaw-chal') which means to be patient, tarry, wait, trust.

In Job 8:14 however, the Hebrew word translated as hope is “כּסל”, kesel (phonetical spelling is keh'-sel) which means trust, confidence.

The word used for hope in Job 41:9 is different from the above ones and it is “תּוחלת”, tôcheleth, (pronounced as to-kheh'-leth) which means expectation.

In Psalms 16:9 beṭach (beh'-takh in pronunciation) written in Hebrew as “בּטח” is the word used for hope and it means trust, assurance, confidence.

In Psalm 22:9, “בּטח”, bâṭach, pronounced as baw-takh' is the word used for hope here, it is slightly different in written and pronunciation from the one used in Psalms 16:9. This word means be bold, confident, sure.

Psalm 119:116 has two words written as hope there. The first is (מנּי מנּי מן), min minnı̂y minnêy, (min, min-nee', min-nay' as it is phonetically spell) as the word for hope while the second is (שׂבר), śêber (say'-ber) which means expectation.

“חסה”, châsâh, (pronounced as khaw-saw') which means flee for protection, make refuge, trust is the word for hope in Proverbs 14:32.

Ecclesiastes 9:4 has (בּטּחון), biṭṭâchôn, (phonetic spelling is bit-taw-khone') which means trust, confidence as the word for hope and Isaiah has (שׁבר שׂבר), śâbar shâbar, (saw-bar', shaw-bar') meaning, view, tarry, expect (with hope and patience) as the word for hope in chapter 38 verse 18, while yâ'ash, (יאשׁ) (yaw-ash' as being pronounced) is used in Isaiah 57:10 to relate to a person that has no hope.

Prophet Jeremiah in chapter 17:7 uses (מבטח) mibṭâch, (mib-tawkh') which means assurance, trust as the word for hope. And in chapter 17:17 uses “מחסה מחסה”, machăseh machseh, (makh-as-eh', makh-seh') which means (place of) refuge, trust as the word for hope.

In the book of Lamentation 3:26 (יחיל), yâchı̂yl, (yaw-kheel') is the word for hope there which means expectant.

Having seen the words used for hope in the Old Testament, let us see the words used for hope in the New Testament. The Greek words used for hope in New testament is two and they are (ἐλπίζω), elpizō (el-pid'-zo) which means to expect, confide. The other word that would be found associated to hope in the New Testament is (ἐλπίς), elpis, (el-pece') which means confidence, expectation.

In all the above translations and meanings of the words used for hope in both testaments of the bible we shall discover that the meanings are related, the common words are confidence, trust and expectant.

Oxford Advanced Dictionary defines hope as “to want something to happen and think that it is possible”.

Bible.org says, hope as related to the scripture is a solid and assured expectation. It is not the same as the worldly type of definition which has in it uncertainty of the fulfilment of that thing that we strongly desire to possess.

While continuing with the scriptures we shall discover that hope has two things associated with it, and they are activity of hoping for something and the object to be hoped for. We shall discover that these speak first of the future and second of the invisibility of what is (are) being hoped for. Bringing this closer to us, it means that hope is talking about what we cannot see or have not received or both.

A good example of this shall be found in the Holy Bible in Romans 8:24-25.

“For we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for?

“But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it.” (Rom. 8:24-25)

Bringing our minds to the perfected work of God on the cross of Calvary with the above word of the apostle in view we shall discover that no one has seen salvation with physical eyes, neither has anyone seen many of the blessings of the Lord as enmeshed in the scriptures. Though we do not see them, we yet hoped for them, believed them, trust that they are real and are acting on them.

Hope therefore from the scriptural point of view is the confident trust that one has that what Yahweh has promised through his Word is real, sure, certain, and that as it has happened it will also happen according to the will of God.

Insight into Hope

Crystal McDowell says without hope many of us would have been dead by now because people can survive without affection, with little food, some water, few clothes, restricted transportation etc. However, it is good to know that the essence of believers’ faith on earth is hope, for we hope to be with him one day, we trust he hears and answers our prayers, and that our confidence in him wouldn’t be in vain.

However, we shall note the kind of hope expressed in the bible is not a static one as some people may have been viewing it.

It is Mobile

All through the entire bible we shall discover that hope is always mobile, never inert neither unreceptive. However, this shouldn’t be misconstrued as being an escape from certainties of life or difficulties. Hope does not make anyone lazy, procrastinating but it always puts us in motion because we shall be acting on the word of God.

“Or saith he it altogether for our sakes? For our sakes, no doubt, this is written: that he that ploweth should plow in hope; and that he that thresheth in hope should be partaker of his hope.” (1 Cor. 9:10)

Someone who is ploughing a land would not stay at a position and say he is ploughing. Thus, for someone who is plough in hope, the person shows that his confidence in the word is being put into action, his hope in the Lord and his Word is active, not docile neither dormant.

Its Fallouts

1. It Alters Our Perspectives: how we view life is always altered when we give our lives to Jesus Christ and started hoping for the world to come, because we shall see this world as a temporal place, because our atlas and map say the world passes away.

“But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.” (2 Pet. 3:10)

If the world passes off, we shall recall from the word that we are strangers and pilgrims on earth.

“Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul” (1 Pet. 2:11)

And a stranger in a place would always be mindful of his or her home, he would be setting his heart on things in his home but not on where he resides.

“Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.” (Col. 3:2)

2. Our Priority Changes: Having been saved and knowing that our lives are hid with Jesus in God, we shall set our hearts on things above, because that is where God and Jesus is, we shall not be mindful of the earthly things. This does not connote that we won’t be working, neither that we shall leave the midst of people and go and be leaving in the wilderness, no that is not what it means, what it means is that though industrious, we shall always do things that God desires, we shall live our lives in the world as if God is beside us. Think about this, someone who is a stranger in another land, the person though working there would be saving for the time he would leave the place back to his country home.

“Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal:

“But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal:

“For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.” (Matt. 6:19-21)

3. Our Orientation Changes: when we begin to have “elpis”, the expectation that God’s promises would be fulfilled to the letters how we use our gifts, seasons and times, resources and other things would be changed. When the people of the world view the world from the perspective of satisfying their ordinary desires, fleshly desires, we won’t do that, because we are expecting a better place.

4. Assist in Standing For The Right Thing: Tamar in the book of Genesis was told by her father in-law that she should go and wait till the youngest son grows old, because she has hope that what the man said he would fulfill, she could wait against all odds. (Gen. 38)

5. Our Reference Point During Trials: one of the things that helps a believer during trial period is hope, the trust that what he has confidence that would happen to him would be done. Think about the case of Joseph, what keeps him from falling into sin was the trust that what he saw would come to pass one day, however, how it would come to pass he wouldn’t be sure of, because the template has been distorted, despite that he keeps hanging on to the promises. (Gen. 37)

Dividends of Hope

1. It gives us rest (Acts 2:26): Apostle Peter was referring to the word of the Psalmists in this verse that David knew and foretold of what would happen at the last days how God would bring rest unto the people who have hope in him, because they would not be left to suffer with the unbelievers in hades.

“Therefore did my heart rejoice, and my tongue was glad; moreover also my flesh shall rest in hope” (Acts 2:26)

It wasn’t as if he has seen it, but he was confidently expressing what he believes would soon come into place. This eventually come into place when Jesus comes to the world. After his resurrection he delivers the saints from the pangs of hell.

2. We rejoice in it (Rom. 5:2; 12:12): “καυχάομαι”, kauchaomai (pronounced as kow-khah'-om-ahee) is the word translated to rejoice in Romans 5:2 which means to boast, joy. In Romans 12:12 however, the word used for rejoicing is “χαίρω”, chairō (phonetical spelling khah'ee-ro) which means to cheer, be glad, joy.

We rejoice in hope of the Lord Jesus having been saved by his grace because we can see within our spirit and sense within our spirit the glory which the Lord has for us, even though the people of the world can neither see nor sense what we are sensing.

3. We have all joy and peace (Rom. 15:13): The joy stated here by the apostle is “all” not some degrees of it, but “all”, which is “the whole of joy” as “πᾶς”, pas which is the word use for “all” in this book means in Greek.

“Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost.” (Rom. 15:13)

God of hope will fill us with whole joy and whole peace to dwell in his trust through the power of the Holy Ghost that he has reposed in us. This whole joy makes the people of the world to wonder when seeing us in the world.

4. God’s eyes are always on those who hopes in him (Psa. 33:18): As the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous to favor them (because the Hebrew word use for eyes here “עין”, Romanized it is ‛ayin has favor associated with it), while his eyes are against the wicked for evil (1 Pet. 3:12) so are his eyes on those that put their hopes in the Lord. He is watching over them to protect them, to bless and to favor them.

“Behold, the eye of the LORD is upon them that fear him, upon them that hope in his mercy.” (Psa. 33:18)

5. It gives us happiness (Psa. 146:5): Those who have their hopes in the Lord are always happy because they know that God is always there for them, unlike those who are without God in the world and who know not what lies ahead of them, those who have their hope in the Lord know what lie ahead of them.

“Happy is he that hath the God of Jacob for his help, whose hope is in the LORD his God.” (Psa. 146:5)

6. God takes pleasure in those who hope in him (Psa. 147:11): God sets his affection on those who hope in his mercy. His affection is on them because he knows that they are not trusting in anything else outside him.

“The LORD taketh pleasure in them that fear him, in those that hope in his mercy.” (Psa. 147:11)

If our hope is in the Lord alone, he will be delighted in us, his affection would be directed towards us like a lover who directs his affection towards his partner.

7. It gives us courage, strength (Psa. 31:24):

“Be of good courage, and he shall strengthen your heart, all ye that hope in the LORD.” (Psa. 31:24)

Our hope in the Lord makes us courageous even in the face of the most difficult things because we know he shall strengthen us, he has always been strengthening us and he would not leave doing that.

8. It gives us endurance, comfort and confidence (1 Thes. 4:13)

“But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope.” (1 Th. 4:13)

Our confidence that he has gone and prepare a place for us so that where he is, we shall also be gives us comfort that cannot be expressed when we lose our partners and friends in the world to the cold hands of death. (Joh 14: 1-4) We know that though we have been physically separated but soon we shall be together when the Lord and master arrives for us all and there, we shall know one another and never part again. This confidence gives us the stamina to continue in faith, to keep on forging ahead as well as using this to comfort some other brethren who may have lose their loved ones among us.

9. It gives us confidence in the vineyard of the Lord to continue to labor (1 Tim. 4:10)

“For therefore we both labour and suffer reproach, because we trust in the living God, who is the Saviour of all men, specially of those that believe.” (1 Tim. 4:10)

We continue to worship and work in his vineyard because of the confidence we have in him, for we know that though the earth and heaven may pass off, but he remains sure and his word endures forever. Because of this we do not mind the reproach coming to us for believing in him and following him, because of this we continue to lead people to him.

10. It makes us purifies ourselves (1 Joh. 3:3)

“And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure.” (1 Joh. 3:3)

The of the eternal glory that lies ahead of us when we leave this world makes us to always purify our lives for him. We ensure that our thoughts are always in tandem with his will so that when he arrives, we shall not be found wanting. This is the kind of hope that the 5 out of the 10 virgins had in Matthew 25 that makes them to continue to purify themselves while waiting for their appearance of their love and groom. We cannot do less, we also need to always be ready for our master and Lord by purifying our lives and thoughts always through the written word.

Weakness of Hope

1. If deferred the heart becomes sick (Prov. 13:12)

2. Fainting soul (Psa. 119:81)

3. Some ancient patriarchs could not attain the promise while on earth (Heb. 11:39-40)

Caution on False Hope

People of the world put their hopes in divers of things, but those things in which they put their hopes in do not bring unto them what they desire, they lead to troubles and disasters. However, God’s strong word of encouragement to us through his people is that we shall put our hopes in the Lord alone.

“So are the paths of all that forget God; and the hypocrite's hope shall perish” (Job.8:13)

“But the eyes of the wicked shall fail, and they shall not escape, and their hope shall be as the giving up of the ghost.” (Job 11:20)

“The hope of the righteous shall be gladness: but the expectation of the wicked shall perish.” (Pro. 10:28)

Some of the things that the people of the world trust on which we are enjoined not to put our confidence in are:

1. Riches (Job 31:24-28; Psa. 52:7; Pro. 11:28)

2. Idols (Psa. 115:3-11; Isa. 42:17; Hab. 2:18-19)

3. Foreign Powers (Isa. 20:5)

4. Military Might (Psa. 20:7; Isa. 30:15-16; 31:1-3; Hos. 10:13)

5. Princes (Psa. 118:9, 146:3-7)

6. Other Humans (Jer. 17:5-8; Psa. 118:8; Mic. 7:5)

7. Your understanding (Pro. 3:5)

8. Your Beauty (Eze. 16:15)

9. Your righteousness (Eze. 33:13)

In addition to these, the apostles in the New Testament, also counsel believers on setting their hopes on the things of the world, that they should not do that. (1 Tim. 6:17)

Encouragement on True Hope

The bible calls God “the God of hope”. If we are to have hope, we should have hope we need to have the kind that comes from God, for he alone possesses the power to give the true hope because he possesses it.

“My soul, wait thou only upon God; for my expectation is from him.” (Psa. 62:5)

“Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost.” (Rom. 15:13)

Origin of Hope

From the above we shall discover that the source of hope (trust and expectation) is God and because it is from him, he has the power to give this hope to anyone who desires it from him. (Rom. 15:4, 13; 2 Thes. 2:16)

How to Get Hope

In getting the kind of hope that originates from the Lord, we need to know the Son of God who is Jesus Christ. Knowing this Son would give us the grace, to possess this hope and live a life that is full of hope in the world for earlier, we are without hope in the world for we walk according to the lusts of our flesh satisfying its desires, but when we come to the knowledge of the son we shall not be able to live that kind of life again having known that we are strangers on the earth.

“Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the commandment of God our Saviour, and Lord Jesus Christ, which is our hope.” (1 Tim. 1:1)

“That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world.” (Eph. 2:12)

Know The Followings About God’s Kind of Hope

1. It Rests on Knowing God’s Word: the word of God for this kind of hope is like a fulcrum on which the confident expectation rests.

“For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope.” (Rom. 15:4)

“To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.” (Col. 1:27)

2. It is directly related to God’s Grace: Greek word for grace is charis, “χάρις” phonetical spelling, khar'-ece, which means graciousness, pleasure, liberality. It is by the divine influence of God on humans’ hearts that we have been redeemed and regenerated. This liberality, charis, is associated with the hope that is reposed in God.

“Now our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God, even our Father, which hath loved us, and hath given us everlasting consolation and good hope through grace.” (2 Thes. 2:16)

3. Your Spiritual Level Determines Your Level of Hope: A person who has just been shown the light of the Gospel may not be able to wholly rely on the Lord, but for someone who has been in the Lord for a while and who has been growing in the Lord such a one is expected to demonstrate some levels of trust and confidence on the Lord more than the naïve ones in faith. As it could be seen by the life of Job who says even though he slays him he would yet trust (have hope) in him.

“Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him: but I will maintain mine own ways before him.” (Job 13:15)

Babies in faith couldn’t have uttered such statement, because they are yet being breastfed or being spoon feed on the word of the Gospel.

“For there is hope of a tree, if it be cut down, that it will sprout again, and that the tender branch thereof will not cease.” (Job 14:7)

Therefore, Job could further utter that when the roots of a tree that has been cut touches water it will spring up.

“Not boasting of things without our measure, that is, of other men's labours; but having hope, when your faith is increased, that we shall be enlarged by you according to our rule abundantly.” (2 Cor. 10:15)

Apostle Paul here in states that when their faith increased, he is confident that their confidence in the Lord shall be increased which would indubitably affect them, because he knows that their work would be enlarged, they would be expanded.

4. It Does Not Bring Shame: sometimes if not all the times when we are trusting the Lord for something such thing would not manifest immediately and this would weary and weaken our hearts, much so when people are piercing our hearts with the words of their mouths, but when we continue to rely on him, it is assuredly certain that we shall not be put to shame when God brings to manifestation what we have been confidently looking unto him for.

“And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.” (Rom. 5:5)

5. It Requires Complete Fixation on Grace: the grace that brings us salvation, is the grace that is associated with trusting in the Lord. This trust in God requires complete look unto him, it shouldn’t waver because by doing so, we shall injure ourselves if we do not kill ourselves. We shall recall that those whose fixation shifted from the snake that was hung on the tree in the wilderness were not spared. In the same as Jesus been raised for all mankind and he wants our focus to be on the man on the cross always.

“Therefore, gird your minds for action, keep sober in spirit, fix your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.” (1 Pet. 1:13)

“And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up.” (Joh. 3:14)

“Therefore the people came to Moses, and said, We have sinned, for we have spoken against the LORD, and against thee; pray unto the LORD, that he take away the serpents from us. And Moses prayed for the people.

“And the LORD said unto Moses, Make thee a fiery serpent, and set it upon a pole: and it shall come to pass, that every one that is bitten, when he looketh upon it, shall live.

“And Moses made a serpent of brass, and put it upon a pole, and it came to pass, that if a serpent had bitten any man, when he beheld the serpent of brass, he lived.” (Num. 21:7-9)

We should allow our focus to be on our redeemer Jesus Christ alone but not anyone.

Jack Wellman while writing on biblical kind of hope says, biblical hope is not the kind of hope the people of the world express which is full of uncertainties, but the hope is being certain in what the Lord has promised. It is not desiring the best, it is neither a feeling nor an emotion.

However, a Christian kind of hope is solid because it is entrenched in the word of God, for believers know that God cannot lie.

“That by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us:

“Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and stedfast, and which entereth into that within the veil.” (Heb. 6:18-19)

Having been assured that God cannot lie, this kind of love is a faith like in expression because it is the elegchos ((ἔλεγχος) pronounced as el'-eng-khos), proof, evidence and or conviction of things not seen.

“Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen” (Heb. 11:1)

Irrespective of whether the thing confidently expected has manifested physically, this person’s trust would not change because he knows the infallible God is involved in it.

When a young or an experienced believer expresses hopelessness, their kind of salvation should be questioned, because we have been saved in hope, we are growing in total trust in the Lord whom we cannot see and who has promised that no one can be against us when he is for us (Rom. 8:31). Now if this God is for us, why do believers need to express hopelessness? It is very certain that we are in the world full of ups and downs and as unbelievers are experiencing some untoward situations in the world so shall believers experience the same, however, for the hope which we have in him, our own reactions to what we are facing and or passing through should be different because we have a father who is above all, who should always be remembered that he suffers so that he would save us, give us eternal rest which the unbelievers could not point to neither in this life nor in the world to come.

For believers not to express hopelessness like the unsaved ones in the world, we need to always be reading the bible and be applying it to our daily living. We should place ourselves at the positions of the ancient patriarchs of faith, imagine yourself looking for child for 25 or more years like Abraham did, imagine yourself losing your husband and children like Naomi did, imagine yourself, being pursued about by the president of the land for the truth like David, imagine yourself for speaking the truth being sawn by the king like Isaiah did. If we could be putting ourselves in these people’s positions and not just reading the bible for reading sake, just reading it because you want to prove to others that you have also finished reading through the bible ten times or more, you will leave the position of your hopelessness and be drawn more to God and would neither be moved nor disturbed by what is happening around because you have a father who has promised you that all would be well, you have a father who says you should not be afraid because he is always for you.

In addition to this we should always bear in mind that there is hope of resurrection for us after life which the people of the world cannot boast of, they do not have this kind of confidence in them. (1 Pet 3:3-5; 1 Thes. 4:16-18; 1 Cor 15:4, 20)

William B. Nelson, Jr. while writing on hope says it is to have confidence in, wait for, trust in or desire something or someone or expecting something beneficial in the future.

It should be noticed that Old Testament period was centered on this world, possessing things of this world. Therefore, the stressed hoped to be saved from their enemies (Psa. 25); the sick looks forward to recovering from their illness (Isa. 38:10-20) and Israelis look unto God for prosperity, peace and gaining more territories. However, this changed later as God promises to give men his eternal kingdom (Dan. 2:44; 7:13-14) and to raise the dead (Dan. 12:2). As from this time forward the focus has been on the next world other than this fading world, because he promises to swallow up death (Isa. 25:8). Believers know that this is talking about the salvation which Jesus brought to the world.

As could be found in the New Testament, the focus of believers is putting their hopes on God and Christ, hoping for the salvation (1 Thes. 5:8); resurrection (Acts 23:6; 24:15; 1 Thess. 4:13); God’s glory (Rom. 5:2; Col. 1:27); redemption of our bodies (Rom. 8:23); righteousness (Gal. 5:5); eternal life (Tit. 1:2; 3:7); Jesus glorious appearing (Tit. 2:13); and that we shall become like him at his appearing (1 Joh 3:2-3).

The contrast between the two could be seen, that the Old Testament focuses on the things of the world while the New Testament focuses on the world to come. That is why it is pitiable assuming all our hopes are on our present existence (1 Cor. 15:19) but because it is not repose on things of the world we have joy and we are assured that when this world shall be over we shall see our beloveds who have slept in the Lord clothed with the celestial bodies like the body of Christ which is not so for the unbelievers, thus they wail and become sorrowful for the lost ones. (1 Cor. 15:20-23, 51-52; 1 Thes. 4:13-18)

Hope is believer’s proper response to the promises of God as being demonstrated by the patriarchs of old, we should also endeavor to exhibit this because people are watching us for such demonstrations.

Crystal McDowell says have you thought about this that what of if we do not need hope for this Christian journey? Such that everything that we desire comes to pass instantly. Then, there wouldn’t be need to persevere in prayers.

“For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what they already have?” (Rom. 8:24).

If this happens, it sure means that we won’t be able to fully trust in the Lord with all our hearts because hope makes us to rely implicitly on the Lord. With hope we can touch what we can’t see because we have assurances in our hearts that there is a God who hears and is ready to do for us what we ask even beyond our imaginations.

Hope could be like an atom in the hearts of believers which would still pull-down despair. It comforts believer when he is being tossed around by trials of faith, and it stimulates the hearts of brokenhearted to continue to trust in the Lord. Therefore, believers need to make this hope grow by nourishing it in the word of God daily.