Almost 8 years ago, I got a tattoo. I was turning 30, still single and for the first time in that season, really enjoying and living in it. I wanted something to mark that milestone but also to remind me of God’s faithfulness in my life. I chose the word “hope". The design was simple but to me it signified the thread of hope that God had woven throughout my life.
Recently, I came across a scripture about hope and it really got my wheels turning. Romans 4 talks a lot about Abraham and his faith as he waited God’s promises to be fulfilled. I came across a passage that I had probably read a hundred times before but this time, it stirred something deep inside me.
“Against ALL (emphasis mine) hope, Abraham , in hope, believed and so became the father of many nations, just as it had been said to him, “Your offspring be.” Without weakening in his faith, he faced the fact that his body was as good as dead since he was about 100 years old and Sarah’s womb was also dead. Yet, he did not waiver through unbelief regarding the promise of God but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, being fully persuaded that God had the power to do what He promised.” Romans 4:18-21 (NIV)
Abraham had both faith and hope. The definition of faith is complete trust in God. The definition of hope is to desire something with confident expectation of it’s fulfillment. The first part of the verse says that “against all hope, Abraham in hope believed.” Against all hope might as well be translated to against human odds and standards. Many times, our circumstances feel hopeless. No way out, no solution. Abraham believed with hope that God would fulfill the promise.
Abraham never weakened in his faith or waiver through unbelief. He had a choice- trust God or not. Trusting in God actually strengthened his faith. One thing that stood out to me in this passage was that it described Abraham “as good as dead” and Sarah’s womb as dead. “Good as dead” means that something might as well be dead, it’s old or doesn’t work anymore- but there was still a slim chance it could. What struck me was that Sarah’s womb was described as dead. No chance of carrying life. Talk about truly trusting that God could bring life from something that was dead.
While studying this passage, something else struck me. Faith (trust in God) leads to hope (confidence that God will keep His promises). You can’t have hope if you don’t have faith. It made sense to me now why in 1 Corinthians 13 the “love chapter” that says these three remain, faith is listed first. Faith is the foundation for trust, the foundation for hope. Faith and hope go hand in hand.
There are so many situations where all hope seems lost. I heard a quote from someone who went through hospice care with her family members: “As long as there is breath, there is hope.” As believers, the Holy Spirit is inside of us- the air we breathe. Hope is in us. Hebrews 6:19 says that "…we have this hope as anchor.” This anchor of hope is a promise of God’s faithfulness. As the hymn “My Hope is Built on Nothing Less” says, “My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus’ blood and righteousness. “