Hope - Joni Vance

Is Hope the Same as Faith?

Last week, my blog was about faith. To me, faith is two-fold:

— Belief, which is the assurance based on what has been proven, and

— Trust, which is the expectation of what will happen based on a proven past.

Hope is being optimistic about the outcome of some situation — but it isn’t based on proof.

Then my mind started to swirl around some verses. And I decided the connotation for the word hope in these verses was really my definition of faith:

— Psalm 119:114: “You are my refuge and my shield; I have put my hope in Your word.”

— Isaiah 40:31: “But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.”

— Micah 7:7: “But as for me, I watch in hope for the Lord, I wait for God my Savior; my God will hear me.”

What I Know About Hope and Faith

But my mind continued to swirl and flip and mull and obsess, trying to come up with an example for when hope means hope and not faith.

When I first started talking to God, and before I understood and could recognize how He works, I didn’t see an event as proof of who He is. It was more like hoping and being uncertain not only about the outcome, but about God. With each passing day, I see more and more proof to back up my belief and trust.

Whether it is the belief or trust part of faith, or hope, God provides wonderful promises in the verses above, and so many more throughout His Word. I can trust and believe and hope because:

— God is my refuge and protector.

— His Word is true, it describes who He is, and He does what He says He will do.

— God renews my physical and emotional strength.

— He is real, and is someone worth waiting for and waiting on.

— God hears me.