Hope is More
Ephesians 1:18
Biblical hope is more than wishful thinking. It is certainty.
Paul prayed that believers would know, from the inside out, the hope of His calling. Hope implies a destination. It means having a growing vision of what God is doing in your life and partnering with Him by faith as that purpose unfolds. (A clue: heaven is not the destination. That is already settled. Hope is about what God intends to accomplish in and through you here and now.)
Some Christians do not know that destination. And some live somewhere between “I wish it were so” and “I know it is so.” As a result, they often drift. They believe God loves them in theory, but struggle to live with quiet confidence and expectation.
Biblical hope is not only the certainty that God is making us whole; it also includes the dreams, callings, and desires He has planted within us. Those longings were not placed there to frustrate us.
They are invitations. They beckon us forward and call us to partner with God in bringing His purposes to life. Even your areas of brokenness may be pointing toward the very restoration God intends and the ministry He wants to birth through you.
The Father’s purpose is both restoration and destination. He is healing what has been broken while leading us into what He has prepared. He is restoring the person and revealing the path.
Sonship addresses both. A son or daughter learns to rest in who they already are while trusting the Father for what is yet to come. This does not remove difficulty from life, but it changes the place from which life is lived.
The Father desires more than intellectual agreement. He desires internal assurance—moving us from “I wish it were so” to “I know it is so.”
Reflective Questions
What stood out to you about biblical hope?
Where are you on the continuum of “I hope it is so” and “I know it is so?”
What dreams have you discarded because you thought they were just childhood fantasies?
Sit With This
Paul prayed that your eyes would be open to this hope. When have you prayed that prayer last? .
Links
You can discover more about Tom Anderson, his journey, and his reflections at his website.
From Sinnership to Sonship: The Story of Becoming is available on Amazon.
Amazon link