Waiting On Hope

Galatians 5:5 ESV says, “For through the Spirit, by faith, we ourselves eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness.”

Do you need hope today? Are you waiting on a promise to be fulfilled (or spoken to you)? This morning I want to frame hope for you.

Firstly, the hope of the righteous is not like the hope of the wicked. Remember, righteousness and wickedness are not referring to good and evil as much as whole/broken, wise/unwise, and truthful/deceived. Proverbs presents an image of righteousness and wickedness resulting from the condition of our inner world (this is not negating goodness, but pointing out what scripture indicates is the source of these results). So then, Proverbs 10:28 ESV says, “The hope of the righteous brings joy, but the expectation of the wicked will perish.”

Understand that even the expected plans of the wicked come to nothing. Compare this with the assurance of hope found in the promises of God. Could there be two more opposite extremes? In the case of the wicked, the longing of the heart is met with emptiness—even when the expectation seems sure. The righteous have joy in their hope because they have confidence in the one who brings the promise.

Romans 8:25 ESV shows us more about hope, saying, “But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.” The tricky thing about hope is that if we can see it, we do not have to hope for it. It is like faith in this way. Faith for what we can already achieve on our own is not faith at all. Likewise, hope for something we are in control of is hardly hope.

Many of us have dreams, desires, and visions for the future. Perhaps you have received a word from the Lord about what is coming down the road for you. Maybe this hope is growing dim as you still have not seen the promise fulfilled.

Can I remind you that your hope can be filled with joy? By definition, joy in hope could not come from the object of our hope (since in seeing it, we would not have to hope!), so where does the joy come from? It comes from the presence of God and the assurance of his promise. Like faith, righteous hope is placed in something we are sure we will see. Of course, we need to examine our hearts to see if we are pursuing a “wicked expectation” or, in other words, a “self-seeking plan.” If so, surrender is our only path to freedom. Yet even in this, God will bring the promise of hope to us. A hope that will not fail.

We often need to remember that our hope is just that: hope. You will not see the result right away, but you can continue to hope. You may not get to receive the fullness of the promise; that could be for the next generation, but you can continue to hope.

In this hope, there is joy.

The enemy wants to kick us out of the joy of abiding by tricking us into exchanging our hope for expectation. As soon as we do this, we lose joy and favor. Taking our hope into our own hands means we are no longer dependent on the vine (John 15). We are more like a severed branch. I want to remind you that the promise of abiding is full of joy, just like the path of Christian hope is filled with joy.

In God’s kingdom, waiting on hope yet fulfilled is a joy-filled endeavor. So what do you hope for?

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