Hope is Not Magic

Where does hope come from?

Good circumstances? Right people in our lives? Enough money? Well behaved kids? Or does it magically appear on our emotional doorstep?

That’s wishful thinking. And if I’m honest, that’s how I often live my life. 

If something good happens then I’m hopeful. If something bad happens then I’m discouraged. I sure hope (wish) tomorrow is better. 

But I can’t be sure—can I?

Yes, I can. And so can you. Because hope is not magic.

Real hope, as defined by the bible, is confident expectation of something good in our future. It’s the assurance that things are going to be okay. It’s the expectation of great things from God—because that is who He is.

In other words, Biblical hope is never based on what is possible with man, money, or circumstances. It looks away from these things to the promise, character, and goodness of God. 

Biblical hope focuses on the person and work of Jesus. 

But this can be hard to do because it’s easier to focus on what we can see (people, money, and circumstances). It’s much more difficult and requires much more effort to focus our attention on Jesus—who is unseen.

This is the daily struggle for a Christian. The pressure to look elsewhere to provide only what Jesus can.

So how do we move from wishful thinking to real hope?

Biblical Hope Requires Effort to Develop

I love this quote by Kurt Thompson which inspired me to write this post.

“In the story the Bible tells, hope is not magic. It does not appear out of thin air on our emotional doorstep. It requires effort to develop.”

Kurt Thompson

Remember that grace is not opposed to effort. It’s opposed to earning. Following Jesus will require effort. But our effort always needs fuel from grace.

Note the progression in Romans 1:1-5 TPT.

Our faith in Jesus transfers God’s righteousness to us and he now declares us flawless in his eyes. This means we can now enjoy true and lasting peace with God, all because of what our Lord Jesus, the Anointed One, has done for us. 2 Our faith guarantees us permanent access into this marvelous kindness that has given us a perfect relationship with God. What incredible joy bursts forth within us as we keep on celebrating our hope of experiencing God’s glory! 

Wow! This is the wonder of grace. The Apostle Paul is reminding us who we are because of who Jesus is and what He has done! Just look at this list in the first two verses.

• Jesus transfers God’s righteousness to us
• We are flawless in His eyes
• We have true and lasting peace with God
• We have permanent access into this marvelous kindness
• We have a perfect relationship with God
• We have access to unending joy and confident hope

But that’s not all!

3 Even in times of trouble we have a joyful confidence, knowing that our pressures will develop in us patient endurance. 4 And patient endurance will refine our character, and proven character leads us back to hope. 5 And this hope is not a disappointing fantasy, because we can now experience the endless love of God cascading into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who lives in us!

In other words, we already stand in the wide-open spaces of God’s glory and grace. If you are a believer in Jesus, that’s a fact. And that alone should ignite hope because we have confidence in who He is and who He made us to be.

But Paul continues with the double bonus. Even in times of trouble we have a joyful confidence. We can continue to hope. 

Why? Because trouble or pressure in our lives will cause us to go back to what we believe. Perseverance in what we believe will lead to proven or refined character. Proven character leads us to real or authentic faith. Authentic faith leads us back to hope.

Didn’t get that? Here it is again.

• Trouble: In the Greek trouble simply means pressure. We all deal with the daily pressure to take our eyes of Jesus and focus on the problem. 
• Perseverance/Endurance: Continuing a course of action or belief in the face of obstacles or disappointment. For example, it’s believing God is for you even when everything seems against you. It’s staying on God’s side. It’s intentional attention and connection with Jesus.
• Proven Character: Authentic faith or knowing your faith is real. When you persevere through a trial and stayed on God’s side, you know and feel the authenticity of your faith.
• Hope: Confident expectation of something good in our future.

And here’s what’s so cool!

This hope does not disappoint because it’s based on the ONE who is certain rather than a certain outcome. 

In other words, my confidence isn’t in good circumstances but in the One who is good. Therefore I can hope for a better future. And my guarantee is the Holy Spirit who is constantly reminding me of God’s love and pointing me to Jesus.

Develop Hope with Perseverance

Again, perseverance is continuing a course of passionate action or belief in the face of obstacles or disappointment—because of what you believe.

Perseverance is not “grin and bear it” and wish for a better tomorrow. It’s purposeful and intentional focus on Jesus while walking through the daily trials with Him.

The key to perseverance is the awareness of what we pay attention to.

When trouble comes, what do you pay attention to? 

Pause. Think. Reflect. This question is so important because we become what we pay attention to. And I’m honest with you and you are honest with me, we often pay too much attention to the problem. 

Unfortunately, attention to the problem leads to more problems, wishful thinking, and disappointment. But, attention to the solution (Jesus) will lead to hope. A hope that doesn’t disappoint.

It will take daily effort to look away from circumstances, money, and people, and look to Jesus. Look to His promises, His goodness, His righteousness, His peace, His kindness, and love. 

Another way to think about it is abiding with Him (John 15:5). Don’t just grin and bear it. Walk with Jesus and learn the unforced rhythms of grace. And not just for a day, but tomorrow and the next day and the day after that. 

That’s what perseverance is all about. 

Development in perseverance will take time. You’ll need more than a few days. My challenge is to continue to persevere for a year and then measure your hope.

Because hope is not magic. It’s developed. And a believer developed in hope is unshakable.

Prayer:  May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.  Romans 15:13 NIV