"Hope Series" Day 2: Where should we look for hope?
by Jamie Steach
Read Psalm 119:73-77
Meditate on verse 73 for a minute. What do you feel when you think about these words? How does the author connect the intimacy of being created by God with His commands?
Where is hope found? What does it mean to put our hope in God’s word? Where do we find evidence of the unfailing love and compassion that the writer speaks of?
How does God afflict us in faithfulness? What about affliction is faithful? If hope is expectation, then how does this affliction lead us back to hope? How might hope and comfort be connected in this passage?
Read Psalm 62:5-8
Where is hope placed in this passage? What expectation is there in this passage that comes from hope in God? Is this a casual hope? How do you know?
How might rest and hope be connected? Where does rest come from in this passage? Is this a temporary rest or a sustaining rest? How do you know?
What benefit does trusting in God at all times bring? Why should we pour our hearts out to God? How is this act a reflection of hope? What is it that we are expecting in this action?
Read Psalm 33:16-22
What constitutes a vain hope? Why are armies and horses a vain place to put hope? Do you have any vain hopes in your life? What are they?
Where specifically is hope placed in this passage? What is the expectation expressed by the writer? Why is it so important to recognize, trust, and hope in God’s unfailing love?
When we trust and hope in God’s love, what does that bring us? When we trust and hope that God’s love is unfailing, what does that do for our relationship with Him? Does it change how we view our circumstances when we have this hope?
Wrap up:
What specific attributes of God do you most hope in? Where might you need to realign your hopes, and build deeper with God? How does our outlook on the world change when we put our hope in God’s love? Does your outlook reflect this hope?
About this series
Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life. (Proverbs 13:12)
Yachal = hope: to wait, expect; waiting with expectation (OT)
Elpizō = hope: to wait with joy and full confidence, to trust in (NT)
Elpis = hope: expectation of good; the thing hoped for (NT)
Hope is a common topic in the Bible, and while many references speak of placing hope in God, we have a few other examples, as well. But what do all of these various references have in common?
Acts 16:19 - hope of making money=expectation of making money
Luke 24:21 - expectation that Jesus was going to redeem Israel (like David)
Jeremiah 23:16 - false expectations
These 3 examples capture the specific nature of hope that echoes through the Bible: to have hope is to have expectation, and usually it involves waiting on that expectation. So what exactly does expectation have to do with God? As it turns out, a lot.