Hope Has a Name
Hope has a Name.
[this article is in process, so please don’t read it until it is finished soon]
“May God, the source of hope, fill you completely with joy and peace as you continue trusting, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may have overflowing hope, a hope that bubbles over.” (Romans 5:13).
Hope Defined. The biblical words for hope point to being able to anticipate the future with pleasure, to welcome whatever comes next, to have confident expectations of good in one’s life. Hope is faith in the future and a deep assurance of God’s hand in whatever is coming around the corner. The Hebrew word in Scripture for hope, “tikvah,” can also mean a connecting cord. Its root word is “qavah” which means to wait, literally to weave together the strings to make an unbreakable cord. Thus in Scripture we find that occasionally the words hope and wait are somewhat interchangeable. The Greek word is “elpis,” and means much the same thing. As has been said by many, hope is faith in the future tense.
“Hope moves the heart of God to come to our help with His grace.” (Father R. Cantalamessa).
Hope Described. Various descriptions of hope might include: Hope is confidently expecting a positive outcome, as opposed to despair, which is fearfully expecting a negative outcome; hope is trusting God for one’s future, as opposed to doubt, which is distrustful of God for one’s future; hope is an optimistic assurance based on reality, as opposed to wishful thinking, which is based on uncertainty; hope is a patient waiting that keeps one actively moving forward, as opposed to a frustrating resignation which passively keeps one stuck; hope is the strong inner urge to work through a difficulty and do what one can to solve it, as opposed to the inclination to avoid a difficulty and thus not solve anything; hope is the positive conviction that there is something substantial to look forward to, as opposed to one’s pessimistic belief that the future holds nothing but a bleak emptiness; hope is the anticipation of a triumphant future in the long run, as opposed to someone who doesn’t even believe in the possibility of a long run of any kind. As the ancient Church Father put it, “Hope is the loving movement of one’s spirit towards that which it hopes for.” (St. Didacus). So hope is not only a deep assurance and steadfast conviction, but also includes the object of the hope itself, the hope in the flesh, Jesus Christ, “our blessed hope” (Titus 2:13).
Our Father in heaven, may your Name be kept holy…” (Matthew 6:9).
In Scripture, names are significant. Names contain the personal characteristics of that person. They signify the important aspects of that person, the personality, the abilities. Jesus is praying here that the magnificent Name of God be kept holy in the minds of the people. May His Name be honored and sanctified, for in honoring His Name, we are honoring who He is. May the Name of the Lord be set apart into a whole different category from other names. May His Name be sacred and hallowed and kept worthy of one-of-a-kind respect and adoration. May His Name be lifted up and held high above all the rest. God’s Name is the accumulation of His greatness, His attributes, His character. Jesus is yearning in His prayer that God’s Name be adored in the holiness that God deserves. God’s Name is the key to this glorification. God’s Name opens the door to His Personhood and to His divine nature.
That is why it so helpful to learn the biblical Names of God. We grow in our understanding of God if we study all these somewhat obscure Hebrew words for God. The truth is that every Name of God highlights an aspect of God’s character and personality. Every Name is an attribute of the God we worship. When we get to know God’s Name, we are getting to know God on a more personal level.
Names are empty unless they are filled by the person behind the name. The person and the name are inseparable, since one reflects the other, and we can’t imagine one without the other. One simply cannot separate the name from the person. A name is only as good as its name holder. A name can indeed have power, but only if its name holder is powerful. A name can only represent righteousness if the person behind the name is truly righteous. A name can wield authority if the person with the name possesses legitimate authority.
The Personal Name of God. When God created that sacred space on Mt. Horeb and presented Himself to Moses at the burning bush, Moses didn’t exactly know how to respond. Moses wanted to know God’s name for one thing, so that he would know how to properly address Him, and call out to Him, and refer to Him. God seemed reluctant to share His most personal eternal Name, so He gave Moses a name that wasn’t even a word. Was this purposely mysterious, or even evasive? Perhaps God’s Name was too “wonderful” to even understand or take in at the human level (Judges 13:18). Or, maybe God’s name here was deliberately unclear because, similar to God’s face that couldn’t be seen, His Name could not be heard by mere mortals? Who’s to say? It’s clear that the precise pronunciation and spelling have been lost through time.