RE: Hope.

Hope is an interesting and very controversial word that people treat differently.

There are a number of words that I grew up with a certain definition and I've had to modify the definition in my mind to closer match it's real meaning. One of these words is "hope".

I used to think "hope" was connected with "chance" or "luck". The phrase "I hope I win!" comes to mind. Or "I hope nothing bad happens." It is a secular substitute for the word "pray", or divine request. This definition contains a lack of confidence, because the person who "hopes" is unsure whether request will be granted or not. "I pray nothing bad happens." or "I pray I win." This is a modern interpretation of the word "hope", and is the understanding that I first learned as a child growing up.

The literal meaning of "hope" is closer to the word "expect". A firm belief that something will be so. Saying "I hope I win." is saying "I EXPECT to win." To say "I hope nothing bad happens." means "I have a firm belief that nothing bad will happen." It's a word connected with confidence and certainty. It's not a request for something, but a confident expectation for something. One document that preserves this original and true meaning of "hope" is scripture:

For God alone, O my soul, wait in silence, for my hope is from him. He only is my rock and my salvation, my fortress; I shall not be shaken. Psalm 62:5-6

“Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.” Hebrew 11:1

I maintain that biblical words must retain biblical meanings, which is why I had to modify the definition of the word "hope" that I had learned as a child, into an understanding that matches its real meaning.