We are still in the early part of 2018 and I’m sure many are looking forward to what the year will bring. A word that describes our widely held sentiment is ‘hope’. When I had a meal with a friend at Boat Quay in the CBD, I passed this very familiar statue. I had not been up close before. So intrigued, I paused to look closer at the plaque beneath it. The plaque read: “This bird symbolizes the joy of living and the power of optimism.” The creator of this artwork believes that his statue will bring about a hopeful outcome. But as an apparent object of hope, would it deliver what it symbolized?

If I were to approach an average person along the street and ask, “What is your hope?”, This man or woman would likely use the word ‘hope’ in a manner such as, “I hope to be rich, I hope to be successful.” This hopefulness may extend to a variety of other desires, such as health or a life partner. But what this definition of ‘hope’ really refers to is a wish, a desire or even a dream, but it has no foundation in reality.

As a Christian, our hope is not without foundation or basis. There is a certainty and a guarantee to it. The Bible tells us, hope comes from the Word of God. I can have hope because God promises it. Romans 15: 4 says: "For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction… through the encouragement of the Scriptures, we might have hope.” This is not wishful thinking, this is not dreaming, this is real, I know it will be realized because the Scriptures say so and therefore, I have a confident expectation.

The Christian man or woman has a solid foundation in the Word of God, It is not a dream.The Christian's hope, it's about things you have yet to see, you have yet to experience. If you already have it, it is not hope. Perhaps, today, you say, I hope I will have a million dollars. But if you already have a million in the bank, it's not hope. You can't hope for something which you already have and Apostle Paul is saying, hope that is seen is not hope. You hope for that which you see not! Our salvation is amazing, our salvation is in hope. God has saved us for greater things to come and we can approach every moment confident in this because He has promised it.