“Remember [fervently] the word and promise to Your servant, in which You have caused me to hope. This is my comfort and consolation; that Your word has revived me and given me life.” Psa. 119:49-50 (Amplified)
According to Rom 10:17, faith is birthed by the hearing of God’s word. However, you will quickly realise that faith alone is unable to get you to your desired end, for it has to be anchored and stabilised in hope. Hope is defined as the confident anticipation of good and is itself rooted in, while also being an offshoot of faith. So, how do you differentiate between the two? It is by understanding that faith is applicable to the present while hope is for the future. Faith is defined as being certain of what we hope for and sure of what we do not yet see. It is the definite confidence we have in God, which arises from our understanding of His unchanging character and His infallible word. We know that once God has said it, it is settled for eternity and that nothing can change it. Hence, we know that we know that we know that He will fulfil His promise to us irrespective of the circumstances surrounding us –favourable or otherwise.
Whenever faith elicits an immediate response from God, we have no need for hope. However, as is often the case, we usually have to wait for a period before we see the physical manifestation of that which we have received by faith in the spiritual realm. This will require us to wait in confident anticipation of receiving God’s good for us. Hope in this case is not wishful thinking, but is confidence that derives from faith and strengthens it. Hope anchors our faith firmly to the rock of God’s reality as we stand on His promise. It works hand in glove with faith to deliver to us the object of our desire as promised by God. So, whenever faith is distressed, hope provides comfort. When disconsolate, hope consoles. When our faith flags, hope revives it by projecting God’s infallible promise right before our eyes. Whenever dejection and despondency causes our faith to slowly wilt and risk dying, hope serves as a conduit through which God mercifully pours His rejuvenating life. This was what enabled Abraham to hope even when reason for hope was long gone. Hope enabled him to confidently anticipate the fact that he would become the father of many nations through the birth of Isaac by his wizened old wife Sarah, and he did. Hope was what enabled David to keep on going on when he could easily have given up on his dream of becoming Israel’s king, according to God’s unfailing promise.
Nevertheless, the foundation of their faith and hope in God was the word of God and it should undoubtedly be yours as well. God challenged and is even now challenging His children to bring forth our strong arguments. He wants us to forcefully present our reasons why He should fulfil His promise and in so doing authorise Him to act on our behalf. Well, there is no stronger argument than to articulately remind God of His promise to you. Take encouragement from the fact that God’s word is true and let it revive your sagging soul. Then use that as a stepping stone to plead your cause before Him so that in these uncertain times, the God of certainty will powerfully move earth and heaven in His bid to fulfil His word to you. The entrance of God’s word will give you light and cause you to come alive in confident anticipation of His good to you.
Prayer:
Father, on the basis that you can neither lie nor break confidence or covenant, I plead my cause today. I fervently beseech you to speedily fulfil your unfailing promise to me. I faithfully anticipate seeing your goodness to the glory of your name. Amen.