Got a Minute? Hope and … Hope

Hi, friends in exile, got a minute?

Hebrews, chapter 11, begins like this: “Now faith is the realization of what we hope for, proof of matters which are not seen” (FJV). This kind of hope is different than our usual understanding of hope.

Suppose you are sitting in a class at the university thinking to yourself, I hope my class gets out on time tomorrow afternoon. I want to drive over the pass before it gets dark. Well, how sure are you that your hope will be realized? If your professor is in the habit of letting you out ten minutes late every day, then your hope will probably not be realized, even if she assures you that she will tomorrow.

Here, the certitude of faith is based on something else entirely. It is not based on our calculations at all. Faith is a confident response to the character and promises of God. It has nothing to do with wishful thinking. It has everything to do with our perception of God’s reliable witness to the ultimate outcomes of human experience. By faith we realize what we hope for.

Smiley Mudd