We put our hope in the Lord;
He is our help and our shield.
—Psalm 33:20
Hope is the vaccine that inoculates us against the virus of despair. It puts us beyond the reach of those who would subjugate us with abuse of position and power.
Christianity entered the world at a time of terrible turmoil. Roman historian Publius Tacitus described it as a “period rich in disaster.” It was, Tacitus wrote, “a time of war, murder, adultery, hate, terror, betrayal.”
But at that very time, the apostle Paul was reaching out to Christians, saying, “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope” (Rom 15:13).
Biblical hope (elpis) is “expectation of what is sure.” “Faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see” (Heb 11:1).
Hope assures us that the end of
our story will be “game won.”