Between You And God #14

Dear God, Is hoping for something the same as wishing for something?

Have you ever dropped a penny in a wishing well? You throw your money in, and you’re supposed to get a wish. But there’s no guarantee. Some people make wishes when the clock says 11:11. Does that mean anything? Doesn’t seem to. When you wish, you can want something to happen, but there’s no power or promise that it will.

Hope is different. When you hope something good is going to happen, you have reason to believe that it will. You hope you get gifts on your birthday. You hope there will be presents under the tree. You hope that the pizza at your favorite restaurant will taste good. You hope a book by your favorite author will keep you happily occupied for hours. You believe that these things will happen because experience has proved that the person you’re hoping in follows through time and again.

People who love you do not mislead you into thinking that something great is going to happen but then trick you. When your birthday arrives, you know it will be a good celebration. You may not get everything you want, but many wonderful things will come to pass, and you may even get some things you couldn’t have imagined. This helps us hope with confidence rather than wishing and wondering.

When we hope that God will bring good things into our lives, it shows that we trust in his goodness. We’re telling him that we know he has the power and we believe his promise to bring good things into our lives. When we trust in his goodness, he is honored. And don’t we want to honor God? He is worthy.

God keeps his promises. You’ll see.

How about You?

What things are you hoping for? When you think about it, do you wish, or do you hope?

God Says . . .

Let us hold tightly without wavering to the hope we affirm, for God can be trusted to keep his promise. Hebrews 10:23