What are you hoping for?

I've been thinking about hope.

Hebrews 11:1 says, "Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen."

Definition of assurance: Full confidence; freedom from doubt; certainty
Definition of conviction: A fixed or firm belief; the state of being convinced

Allow me to paraphrase accordingly:
Now faith is having full confidence and certainty of the things that you hope for, being convinced of the reality of the things you cannot see.

Unfortunately our English language is limiting, at least in the way we use the word "hope" today. We say we hope the weather is nice for the weekend. According to the biblical definition, that is not hope at all. Hope without a known end, is just a wish, with no satisfaction or peace attached to it. If you are not fully convinced that what you hope for will come about, you are making a wish.

The other thing about this is that one rarely, if at all, hopes for bad things. We don't hope, even in the wishful sense, for negative outcomes. We hope for good things. Hope is the certainty that good will come to us. Faith is having hope, being fully confident that the promises of a good God will come about, being fully convinced of the certainty of the things we cannot see, but know are true because God has said it.

Is your faith based on the assurance that the good things God has promised will come to pass? Do your words and your actions come from walking in that kind of confidence? May God grant us this kind of faith, that we will know that we know that we know that what he says is true and will not disappoint us.

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope. Romans 15:13