CONCERT OF PRAYER

Pray Week 888

“Wishing and Hoping”

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

I recall a song from 1963 made popular by Dionne Warwick that talked about wishing and hoping and thinking and praying. We have blurred the defining lines between the words ‘wishing’ and ‘hoping’ in our society. The Oxford English Dictionary even defines wishing as a strong desire or hope. We use the terms interchangeably as in ‘I wish it will rain’ and ‘I hope it will rain.’ These blurred definitions are like praying with our fingers crossed.

The fact is that wishing is an expressed desire for something as in, ‘I wish I get the promotion and raise.’ Hoping however is the expectation and assurance of something desired as in, ‘My hope is in the Lord, who provides all my needs.’ (Philippians 4:19) From these two expressions we can see the object of focus differs. One focuses on worldly things, the other on God.

A wish is uncertain. A hope founded on the Truth of God’s Word is a certainty. A wish cannot be counted upon. You cannot ‘take it to the bank’. Hope in the promises of God is assured even though it may not be seen. …Now hope that is seen is not hope… (Romans 8:24)

Wishing has no ties with faith. They are polar opposites. Faith and hope however, go hand in hand. May God, the source of hope, fill you with joy and peace through your faith in him. Then you will overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. (Romans 15:13, GW)

Perhaps it is a general lack of faith in God that is endemic in our society that has given rise to hopelessness and which has even permeated the church causing ‘finger-crossed prayers’ to be lifted up. …Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth? (Luke 18:8)

Prolonged trials and sufferings of life can drain our hope – if we take our eyes off of Jesus. Peter had faith to step out of the boat and walk on the water toward Jesus. Peter sank when he took his eyes off the Lord and focused on the storm. (Matthew 14:29-30)

Hope in the Lord brings perfect peace in the midst of our storms when we keep our minds stayed on Him because we trust totally and completely in Him and Him alone. You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you. (Isaiah 26:3)

God’s Word exhorts us to not only rejoice in the Lord, but to also rejoice in our sufferings and in hope which results from suffering producing endurance and character. We are to be patient in tribulation and constant in prayer. (Romans 5:3-5; 12:12)

Uncross your fingers. Study God’s Word and let the Truth therein soak and permeate your heart. May the Holy Spirit encourage your heart and infuse you with assurance through hope and faith. May He equip you to ‘stay the course’ and persevere through the storms of life. May you have confidence in God’s love for you and that His plans for you are the best. …we desire each one of you to show the same earnestness to have the full assurance of hope until the end… (Hebrews 6:11)