What comes to mind when you think of hope? It is interesting to reflect on how the concept of hope is constructed. A strategy called the “Responsive Classroom” approach suggests that, each year, students write a statement that encompasses their hopes and dreams. As teachers guide students through this process, they help students frame hopes in a positive and inspirational manner. However, hopes are to be general, realistic, and draw on experiential frameworks.

When we use the word “hope,” it is often infused with a sense of expectation and certainty centered around a particular person, object, or desire. Our operational definitions are important to identify because that is what we carry around with us everyday. Many regard hope as a feeling, but it is really a sense of expectation, tempered with a reasonable measure of certainty. However, we may also hope for something that we may consider a “long shot.” Popular ideas about hope include the idea that if we focus our effort upon a desire, it will come true. I once had somebody suggest to me that if I drew a picture of what I wanted and focused on it every day, it would come true.

Is our working definition of hope consistent with the Christian concept of hope, or are we working off of a secular foundation? Proverbs 3:24-26 says, “When you lie down, you will not be afraid; when you lie down, your sleep will be sweet. Have no fear of sudden disaster or of the ruin that overtakes the wicked, for the Lord will be your confidence and will keep your foot from being snared.” The Lord Himself will be our confidence. Confidence in Him creates a stable foundation for walking with the expectation even when things are uncertain. The Christian concept of hope is based upon something much more secure than a feeling or expectation. Instead, it is based upon the Bible, the character of God, and our past relationship with Him.

The sport of rowing can provide us an analogy here.  The movement, coordination, and teamwork involved in rowing is incredible. The vantage point of the participants is different from that in other sports: they look backward rather than forward. This is an orientation that probably would make many people uncomfortable, as many tend to be forward-facing, always looking to the future with their goals in mind. Rowing disrupts the crutch of looking forward. Instead, it forces participants to look at where they have been. While looking backward may seem like a recipe for disaster, it is actually quite effective.

Everyone faces situations at some point in his or her life that look hopeless. Sometimes we have to reflect on the past to have hope for the future, as we reflect on how God has worked in our lives and the lives of others. In Psalm 78 the psalmist expresses his dedication to share the deeds of the Lord with future generations. In verse 7 he says that the purpose of this is to help people put their trust in God, not forget His deeds, and keep His commandments.

In the Old Testament, God established rituals and monuments as reminders of His care for the people of Israel. A good example of this is when they crossed the Jordan, as described in Joshua 4. God told Joshua to have one representative from each tribe stop and pick up a stone in the middle of the river as they crossed over it on dry land. Once they were safely over it and had set up camp, the Lord commanded that the stones be placed in a pile to serve as a witness to the miracle He had done. Joshua 4:6 says specifically that this act of placing the stones was to serve as a sign for the children, something that will make them want to ask questions about the pile of stones and give busy parents an opportunity to remember to share the story of God’s intervention.

There are also New Testament examples of this idea of remembering to serve as a basis for our hope. Passover was established in Exodus 12 to serve as a reminder of God’s salvation of His people. Jesus re-established this ritual, infusing it with new meaning to serve as a reminder of his sacrifice for us. In Luke 22:19, He says, “Do this in remembrance of me.” The gospel of John was written for Christians who were being persecuted and pushed out of the Jewish community after the destruction of the temple in Jerusalem. In John 20:31, John gives the reason for the gospel text, saying, “These have been written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God.” This gospel is encouraging the Christians not to give up hope or faith.

This strong basis for our hope prepares us to live as we are called to in Hebrews 11. This is a beautiful chapter about people who lived lives that were faithful to God without the promise of ever seeing their work fulfilled. It refocuses the attention of someone facing suffering and challenges to realign with a Christian perspective. God wants us to remember how He has worked in our lives, and to live our lives differently—with hope for the future. Hebrews 11:1 says, “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” When we live this way, it can be both inspiring to others and also confusing to the world around us. Although we cannot always see what’s ahead, ours is not a “blind” or unfounded faith. Rather, it is a faith that is firmly established by our knowledge that God, who has been faithful in the past, will surely be faithful in the future. When we face the unknown, we are demonstrating a different type of faith to the world, and we may have the opportunity to share about how God has been faithful in our lives and the lives of others in the past.