Do You Know What Your Heart Is Hoping For?

Do You Know What Your Heart Is Hoping For?

Posted on by Michele Morin

Two of my grandchildren live in a house with a big picture window looking out over the driveway. They are known for setting up operations there in the window whenever they get wind of an upcoming visit from Bam and Bamp. Of course, having no concept of time, they might start looking for us right after breakfast—even if their mum tells them we’re not due until afternoon.

Their little faces in the window come to mind when I read Psalm 33:20-22:

Our soul waits for the Lord;
    he is our help and our shield.
For our heart is glad in him,
    because we trust in his holy name.
Let your steadfast love, O Lord, be upon us,
    even as we hope in you.”

Far from being misguided or presumptuous, hope in God is solid and well-placed. It’s a confident expectation, not a cross-your-fingers aspiration.

Hope in God is a confident expectation, not a cross-your-fingers aspiration.

There’s nothing else strong enough to bear the weight of all your hopes. If your hope is in your gifts and abilities, your beloved family, your appearance, your good health, or your investments, you’re making deposits to an account that will always be overdrawn.

A wish is what we think will give us happiness.
Hope is what we believe about the character of God.
Wishes are based on human fantasies.
Hopes are based on God’s promises.

And so we pray with confidence—not confidence in our prayers, but confidence in the God who hears:
“Let your steadfast love, O Lord, be upon us, even as we hope in you.”

Holding You in the Light,

A wish is what we think will give us happiness. Hope is what we believe about the character of God. Wishes are based on human fantasies. Hopes are based on God’s promises.

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Published by Michele Morin

Michele Morin is a Bible teacher, writer, reader, and gardener committed to the truth that women can become confident Christ-followers and students of God's Word. She has been married to an unreasonably patient husband for thirty-plus years, and together they have four married sons and a growing fleet of adorable grandchildren. Michele loves hot tea and well-crafted sentences, poems that stop her in her tracks, and days at the ocean with the whole family. She laments biblical illiteracy and advocates for the prudent use of “little minutes.” She blogs at Living Our Days, and you can connect with her on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter.

26 thoughts on “Do You Know What Your Heart Is Hoping For?”

  3. Even when I feel like I know what my heart is hoping for I often have a hard time putting it into words. There are so many things I hope for– for my immediate family, for more distant family members, for our town and state and country and the world. All those feels and hopes can easily get jumbled up.

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  4. Love this “And so we pray with confidence—not confidence in our prayers, but confidence in the God who hears”. What a great way to describe the power behind the confidence of prayer ~ Rosie

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  5. Good distinction! This reminds me of the old hymn . . .

    My hope is built on nothing less
    than Jesus’ blood and righteousness;
    I dare not trust the sweetest frame,
    but wholly lean on Jesus’ name.

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  8. I snapped a sweet picture of my twin grandbabies waiting at the window for their mommy. I wonder if the Lord takes pics of us waiting? 🙂

    “Hope is what we believe about the character of God.” Amen! And everytime I study His Word, I learn more about His character, and my hope is strengthened.

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  11. I was right there in the window with your grands! And in the etymologic discomfort of wanting to send birthday wishes – when it should be birthday hopes – but it just doesn’t seem as grand, though it is more so. Believing in the God who fulfills hopes that you have a blessed week!

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  12. I like how you said: “Wishes are based on human fantasies.
    Hopes are based on God’s promises.” We live with real hope supported by God’s character.

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