The power of Hope

An atheist view of Hope - "Hope is the worst of evils, for it prolongs the torments of man." - Friedrich Nietzsche: such sentiment was expected – He was one who refused hope – no wonder he died of despair.

"Hope is like a road in the country; there was never a road, but when many people walk on it, the road comes into existence."---Lin Yutang:

A. How shall we define HOPE:
firstly we must dispel what is not hope –
1.It is a NOT wishful thinking
2.It is NOT relying on some snake oil cure for a terminal diseases or some pain killers to numb our pain
3.It is NOT a means to cover-up our disappointment or self pity when things do not comes our way.

The powerful effects of Hope – much studied and analysed in medical and nursing care.

B . Biblical concept of Hope –
The most often quoted and familiar verse in 1 Cor 13:13 “And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.”


Christian hope is the confident expectation of the future event based on the promise of God. It removes the element of doubt; it dismisses as mere superstition the suggestion of luck; it clings by faith to the divine decree when circumstances seem to give lie to it.

C. The Passive & Active Hope -
Hope can be passive in the sense of a wish, or active as a plan or idea, ". Very often passive hope is false hope if the object of your hope is unreliable. Eg. Consider a prisoner of war who never gives up hope for escape and, against the odds, plans and accomplishes this. By contrast, consider another prisoner who simply wishes or prays for freedom, or another who gives up all hope of freedom. Active hope is faith in action – Like Hebrews 12:2 it says that the Lord Jesus had courage and determination to go through all the torment and humiliation to fulfil his life purpose despite in the short term it seems painful or unpleasant.

REAL HOPE GLISTENS - A HOPE THAT HAS SEEN THE GLORY AND POWER, THE MAJESTY, THE AWESOME OF GOD., yet may be in our temporal and subjective feeling, may have to put up with some setbacks and obstacles – BUT we knew we will overcome!

Hope believes that as sure as the dawn will come after a long dark night.


****My take on hope is “A certain (As in certainty) expectation of God’s power and goodness to fulfill what he has call us to accomplish.”

18Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed and so became the father of many nations, just as it had been said to him, "So shall your offspring be. Romans 4:18 – this a hope build upon faith in the promise of God. God is trustworthy because what he said came to past!
23 Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. 24For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what he already has? 25But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently. Romans 8:23-25

The power of Hope - Psalms 42 & 43 – written by sons of Korah – Tell us of the benefits of the practice of self talk! Despite dep distress "Deep calls to deep – as if heaven, earth and hell have stirred each other into a dreadful conspiracy to against my peace." Yet the chorus in the Psalms 42:5, 11, Psalm 43:5. --the 3 fold refrain! Hope in God is in the imperative!

We have a Glistening Hope! Let us aim to be a Hope filled person, a person characterised by :
1. Refusal to be intimidated by circumstances. I am destined for success! God said so!
2. Refusal to react and be distressed or derailed by the harsh & critical words of others – especially coming from those immature and small minded people
3. Seek God for His dream for you – and when you find the dream, actively pursue it - how? by walking the extra miles, turning the other cheek. We must do something to improve our current situation – take up a training, move out from the rut etc