Pathways Press.com

John Piper points out that there are typically three kinds of hope that people routinely express:

1. A desire for something good in the future (I hope daddy gets home early!)
2. The thing in the future that we desire (Our hope is that Jim will arrive safely)
3. The basis or reason for thinking that our desire may be fulfilled (A good tailwind is our only hope of arriving on time)

All of these “hopes”, which we hear in daily conversation, are based on uncertainty – we are uncertain of a result and we hope (cross our fingers) that in the situation we will get what we want.

Christian hope, however is based on certainty – a confident expectation and desire for something good in the future.  With Biblical hope there is a moral certainty that God is loving, that His will for us is good, and that He will be beside us in all circumstances.  Christian hope is based on knowing that we have a faithful God.

“When Scripture says “Hope in God!” it means, in the words of William Carey, “Expect great things from God.”  Whenever faith in God looks to the future, it can be called hope.  And whenever hope rests on the Word of God, it can be called faith.   Hope is faith in the future tense.”  [John Piper]