Yes, we had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves but in God who raises the dead.
— 2 Corinthians 1:9

Have you ever heard things like: “I prayed to God about this, but I never got an answer”, or “We’ve been praying about this situation for years, but there’s no answer yet”? Questions arise: “Is something wrong? After all, the Word of God says: «Now hope does not disappoint». [Rom.5:5] So what’s the matter?” Some say: “When I lost hope of getting my miracle, for some reason it happened.” Has that ever happened to you? In fact, there is worldly, everyday hope, and there is biblical hope, God’s hope. Worldly hope sounds something like this: “I hope I’ll pass my exams”, or “Hopefully I’ll get a pay rise this year”, and so on. Such hope often leads to disappointment. So what is biblical hope, and what is its essence?

In 2 Corinthians 1:8-9 Paul writes: “For we do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, of our trouble which came to us in Asia: that we were burdened beyond measure, above strength, so that we despaired even of life. Yes, we had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves but in God who raises the dead.” Here he says that they had despaired of life and thought they would die. But what happened? “who delivered us from so great a death, and does deliver us; in whom we trust that He will still deliver us” [2 Cor.1:10] Here lies the key to understanding God’s hope.

Let’s look at how Abraham hoped. “who, contrary to hope, in hope believed, so that he became the father of many nations, according to what was spoken, ‘So shall your descendants be.’” [Rom.4:18] What did Abraham believe in hope? “He did not waver at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strengthened in faith, giving glory to God, and being fully convinced that what He had promised He was also able to perform.” [Rom.4:20-21] If we read [Gen.17:15-18], we get the impression that Abraham did not believe he would have a son by Sarah, because he laughed and spoke to God about Ishmael. So how can Scripture say that he did not waver in faith?

In fact, what God calls hope is hope not in a miracle but in Him. Abraham may not have believed that such a miracle could happen, but he believed, first, that “God is Almighty“, because that is how God revealed Himself to him [Gen.17:1], and second, that “God is faithful to His promises“, because God Himself proved it to Abraham by sealing His Word with a covenant. [Gen.15:8-12] These are exactly the two things that Romans 4:21 and 2 Corinthians 1:9 speak of, as do many other places in Scripture. Biblical hope is not hope in a miracle God gives, but hope in God Himself, who gives the miracle we need. In the first case our eyes are on the miracle, in the second on God. Having believed in Jesus, we know and believe that God is almighty. All that remains is to open the Scriptures and learn all His promises for our life. And God Himself tells us, confirming it with the covenant of Jesus’ blood, that all His promises in our life are “Yes!” and “Amen!” [2 Cor.1:20]

And when we hope in Him and in His faithfulness to His promises, such hope will never disappoint! Amen!