Monday Meditation~What Do You Hope For?

"Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see." Hebrews 11:1 (NIV)


Maturity and Bible translations make a difference.

I distinctly remember memorizing Hebrews 11:1 in my high school days, clinging to it as a beacon of hope. I can't put my hands on my Living Bible right this minute, but I can picture those words highlighted in neon yellow. As I recall, it said something like "Faith is the confident assurance that something we want is going to happen." Hmmm. For a teenager the implication might not be what the author intended.

Other translations say that faith is the substance or assurance of things hoped for.

I just have to wonder how many people grab onto that verse regarding random "hopes". (Hoping that you get something really nice for your birthday...hoping you don't have something green in your teeth...hoping you get to meet Scotty McCreery) Is that worthy of being called faith? Feel free to ponder that on your own. That's really what Monday Meditation is designed for. smile.

Is an "in accordance with God's will" implied after the "what we hope for"?

In my Quest Study Bible, which includes "articles" beneath passages offering further explanation, I found this insight to be interesting. "The writer of Hebrews expressed faith in two directions: faith toward future things (what we hope for) and faith toward invisible things (what we do not see). When we are certain God is in control of these areas (and we live like He is in control), that's faith." Parentheses not mine. smile.

I pray that my "hopes" are in accordance with and yielding to His will and that my faith toward future things and those things I can't see is pleasing to Him.

"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)

Happy Monday!