Hatikva - Hope
The State of Israel`s National Anthem is called Hatikva meaning Hope.
English Translation
As long as within our hearts
The Jewish soul sings,
As long as forward to the East
To Zion, looks the eye –
Our hope is not yet lost,
It is two thousand years old,
To be a free people in our land
The land of Zion and Jerusalem.
Hebrew
Kol od ba’le’vav p’nima,Nefesh yehudi ho’miyah.
U’lefa-atei mizrach kadimah,
Ayin le’Tziyyon tzofiyah.
Od lo avda tikva-teinu,
Ha’tikvah bat sh’not al-payim
Lih-yot am chofshi b’ar-tzeinu
Eretz Tziyyon v’Yerushalayim.
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Written as a poem before the State was created, it gives the longing hope for the Jewish people to return to the Promised Land.
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Those that know Jesus as Saviour also have a longing and hope for their future in a place that He has gone to prepare.
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"Knowing what is right is like deep water in the heart; a wise person draws from the well within." - Proverbs 20:5
Sometimes we may have mixed motives and don`t always recognise what our plans might come to but with advice and good counsel we can begin to understand ourselves better and make good choices.
Being hopeful is frequently confused with being optimistic, nor is it positivity. Paul mentions faith, hope and love in 1 Corinthians 13:13. These are key features of the Christian life, based on our understanding of Christ. Hope is not abstract but in someone or something in whom
we choose to trust. Our hope is in Christ, in his love, and in the promise that he will ‘come again in glory’ at the end of time. It is a hope which believes that all creation will ultimately share the new life we see in Jesus’ resurrection.
Hope is light in the darkness where we are, and that light dispels the darkness.
May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit”
Romans 15:13
Now faith is confidence in what we hope for
and assurance about what we do not see.
Hebrews 11:1
Because God wanted to make the unchanging nature of his purpose very clear to the heirs of what was promised, he confirmed it with an oath. God did this so that, by two unchangeable things
in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who
have fled to take hold of the hope set before us may be greatly encouraged. We have this hope
as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure
Hebrews 6: 17-19
Hope allows us to live a life of trust and expectation for the future because we are empowered by the Holy Spirit.
To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.
Colossians 1:27
I believe that I shall see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait for the Lord; be strong and he shall comfort your heart; wait patiently for the Lord.
Psalm 27: 16-1
You are my hiding place and my shield
and my hope is in your word.
Psalm 119: 114
"Hope in God" Psalm 42:5 Our confidence is in God alone, not what we see or hear that can easily cause us to waver.
Why are you cast down, O my soul,
and why are you disquieted within me?
Hope in God; for I shall again praise him,
my help and my God.
Do you ever argue with yourself ?! The psalm acts as a self dialogue, as a challenge during difficult times when our eyes are lowered and we are tempted to forget God and His promises. Hope in God is not natural in this world and needs to be worked at. Biblical hope not only desires something good for the future — it expects it to happen - and that is faith.
A question to reflect upon: Is it certain or uncertain? What or whom is our hope in?