According to Webster’s 1828 dictionary; Hope is – A desire of some good, accompanied with at least a slight expectation of obtaining it, or a belief that it is obtainable. Hope differs from wish and desire in this, that it implies some expectation of obtaining the good desired, or the possibility of possessing it. Hope therefore always gives pleasure or joy; whereas wish and desire may produce or be accompanied with pain and anxiety.
I love hope! I love the feeling it inspires in me. Here in the Northwest, we hope for spring. We desire it and know that it will give us great pleasure and joy. Today I wanted to share some scared works about hope and discuss them with you.
Job 11:18 And thou shalt be secure, because there is hope; yea, thou shalt dig about thee, and thou shalt take thy rest in safety.
I want to feel safe; I think we all do, but with hope we can feel safe and secure.
Psalms 146:5 Happy is he that hath the God of Jacob for his help, whose hope is in the Lord his God.
OK, who doesn’t want to be happy? God has to power to instill in us happiness, if we have hope.
Psalms 31:24 Be of good acourage, and he shall strengthen your heart, all ye that bhope in the Lord.
Isn’t it wonderful that God wants us to be strong and have courage? Good courage. Courage to have positive movement in our lives, that with hope our hearts are strong.
Proverbs 13:12 Hope deferred maketh the heart sick: but when the desire cometh, it is a tree of life.
Here we are again with hope and our hearts. But without hope our hearts can become sick. Have you see others whose hearts are sick? They have little hope for their futures. These two scriptures encourage me to have a healthy heart and have hope. I believe this applies to us physically, as well as, emotionally.
Alma 32:21 And now as I said concerning faith—faith is not to have a perfect knowledge of things; therefore if ye have faith ye hope for things which are not seen, which are true.
How exciting to see how faith and hope are intertwined. It is such a blessing to have both and to practice them on a daily basis. Hope is so much for than a wish.
So how can we have hope, especially in a world with evil and challenges around every corner? It is only through God’s love and the practice of hope that we will find strength. I believe that having hope helps us to look for the positive, even in difficult circumstances. We can be like a young child feeling safe and secure in our parents love…our Heavenly Parents love.
I think it’s easier to find the hope and joy during struggles when you look at your trials as what you lived through (or with if they aren’t over) rather than what you have to deal with. It’s not usually that easy to do, but it sure does help.