We have this as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, a hope that enters into the inner place behind the curtain

Hebrews 6:19 ESV

“I hope the Tigers win the national championship!”

“I hope it doesn’t rain tomorrow!”

“I sure hope I get that job!”

Hope in our culture is usually associated with wishful thinking. We hope for things that just aren’t guaranteed.

Who has not heard the young employee briefing a senior executive on a project say, “We hope to get it done on schedule and under budget,” only to hear these damning words: “Hope is not a strategy! Give me something more solid next time!”

Of the three theological virtues—faith, hope, and love—it is hope that we view as the weak sister. We think of faith as solid and certain as we sing,

How firm a foundation, you saints of the Lord,
is laid for your faith in his excellent Word!

And we know love is unconquerable.

Love is strong as death (Sol 8:6)

The greatest of these is love (I Cor. 13:13)

But what about hope? It seems about as solid as mist. Is the Christian’s hope just wishful thinking?

Never! Though the outcome of the next football game, tomorrow’s weather, and results of a job interview are dependent on factors out of our control and even unknown to us, the Christian’s hope is very different. We might say that hope is only as certain as its object. We should also say that hope is no less certain than its object. Christian hope has as its object the promises of God. And He is the strong guarantor of those promises.

Wrap your mind around this: our hope in Christ is more solid and real than is the world around us because of the One in Whom we hope. Our hope is a “sure and steadfast anchor of the soul.”

Photo by David Troeger on Unsplash.