The Lamp is Always Lit!
I am sure that you are familiar with the advertising commercial that ends with “I’m Tom Bodett for Motel 6 and we’ll leave the light on for you.” [In case you have ever wondered who Tom Bodett is, he is an NPR radio host, voice actor and author.] Leaving the light on for someone is a sign that you care about them, that you are waiting for them, and that when they arrive, you welcome them into your space. When we know someone will be coming to our house after dark, we leave the front porch lights on for them. I am sure you do the same.
Tertullian, who was a second century Christian apologist and author said this: “Hope is patience with the lamp lit.” Right now, maybe you face a life situation that is challenging, making it difficult to be hopeful. Everything you dreamed of, and hoped for, hangs in the balance, and discouragement floods your soul. You have been waiting and waiting, and today you find yourself impatience and tired of waiting. You have been praying for God to move in a particular situation, but so far, it seems from your point of view, that the light is not on, and God has gone to bed.
Hope refers to a feeling of desire for something to happen, with a real expectation that is could happen, but still with some level of uncertainty. When you plan a day at the beach you hope for sunshine and not rain. Or maybe you have planned a trip to the art museum and as you get in the car you say – I sure hope it isn’t too crowded when we get there.
The Bible has quite a lot to say about hope. But unlike the way we use the word hope in modern conversation and vernacular, biblical hope does not convey any level of doubt. . It is not pie in the sky wishful thinking. Instead it has as its foundation a confident faith in God. Instead it has as its foundation a confident faith in God. In the Old Testament the word hope most often comes from a Hebrew word meaning “confidence, safety, or security.” In Psalm 62, as David talks to his inner soul, we find that confident expectancy – “Yes, my soul, find rest in God; my hope comes from him. Truly he is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will not be shaken” (vv.5-6). The word hope in this verse comes from a Hebrew verb that means to gather into strength.
Psalm 42, in which the psalmist wonders where his hope has gone, ends with these hopeful words – “Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my salvation and my God” (v.11). [This Hebrew word for hope, while slightly different than the one in Psalm 62, still implies the same thing – a confident waiting, to tarry (linger in expectancy).]
And turning to the New Testament, we read these words in Hebrews 11:1 – “Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.” The word hope in that verse is the Greek word elpizō which means to fully expect, count upon, place confidence in. In other words – there is no doubt about it!
So, the way I see it, biblical hope is not a feeling, it is a reality. Biblical hope is not wishful thinking, it is an assured and confident expectation, a sure foundation upon which we can base our lives. Biblical hope is looking forward to, and trusting in, all that God has promised. Biblical hope is knowing that even when you are walking (or waiting) in darkness, you have the absolute certainty of a loving and faithful God. Biblical hope is standing at a door where the lamp is always lit!
