Hope Is More Than a Wish
Have you ever wished upon your Thanksgiving Day turkey’s wishbone? The tradition of breaking the wishbone dates back thousands of years to the ancient Romans who pulled apart a chicken’s clavicle in hopes of achieving good fortune. This elastic bone is the fusion of the bird’s two clavicles at the base of its sternum. It holds and releases energy as the bird flaps its wings, thus an important part of the flight mechanism. Today, folklore says that the person who breaks off the bigger piece has their wish granted.
When you think of the word “hope” or “wish” what comes to mind? We often use the two words interchangeably, but they really are different in meaning and usage. Hope is most often used to convey the reasonable confidence that something good will happen in the future (I hope I pass my test) whereas wishing is a longing for something not likely to happen (I wish I were taller) or to express regret (I wish I hadn’t said that to her). Hope and wish are situational. They are based upon circumstances.
Unlike hope, or even wishful thinking, as most often understood in everyday language, biblical hope is not based upon situations or circumstances. It is not simply optimism or wishful thinking. Biblical hope is based upon a person, the trustworthy person of God. There are two main words used to translate hope in the Old Testament. The first is yachal, most associated with waiting on God (Job 13:15; Psalm 31:24; Psalm 130-5-7). In addition to yachal, we find qavah, which comes from the root word for cord. This verb confers the idea of the tension that comes with anticipating something.
Biblical hope is real anticipation, something you truly believe is coming. Because of Israel’s rebellion, God had hidden himself from them. Yet, despite that, the prophet Isaiah was waiting in expectancy – “I will wait for the Lord, who is hiding his face from the house of Jacob, and I will hope (qavah) in him” (Isaiah 8:17).
Micah talks of farmers who wait (hope) confidently each morning for dew to give moisture to their crops – “Then the remnant of Jacob shall be in the midst of many peoples like dew from the Lord, like showers on the grass, which delay (qavah) not for a man nor wait (yachal) for the children of man” (5:7).
Late last year, I wrote about biblical hope in a slightly different way. To read that post, click here.
Biblical hope is confidence, looking forward to, and trusting in, all that God has promised. There is always tension in the waiting, but in the tension, there is also confidence. Biblical hope is more than a wish It is hope that you can count on.
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