Have you ever thought about the reality that Moses, God’s chosen leader of the Children of Israel, never entered the Promised Land? Of course, he knew about it, and understood the promise of it, but after everything he had endured with leading the Israelites out of Egyptian slavery, he would not be allowed to journey into this promise with them. God’s people living during the Old Testament period were a rowdy bunch. They were at times incredibly disobedient, and they had to be reminded repeatedly by consequence and also by God’s chastisement through Moses to change their behavior. The older ones, those that refused to believe God’s Word, died in the wilderness, but despite this, Moses still believed God’s promise of the Promised Land. He trusted God’s Word, and Moses died in hope. He was hopeful, but he would not see the manifestation of faith and believing. Even so, Moses was not sad. Although he would not get to live in the Promised Land, he knew God would honor His promise to the people.
Moses gives us an accurate picture of the distinction between hope and faith. To hope is to believe in something very strongly, and although you may not see it manifest in your lifetime, you know that God is faithful. You know that what He’s promised will happen in the future. This is what Moses did. He believed God. He believed in God’s promise, but he wouldn’t get to witness the manifestation of it.
To see this more clearly, examine Titus 2:12-13(NLT). It says, “12 And we are instructed to turn from godless living and sinful pleasures. We should live in this evil world with wisdom, righteousness, and devotion to God, 13 while we look forward with hope to that wonderful day when the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, will be revealed.” This passage is referring to the return of Christ to the earth. The return of our Master Jesus is what every believer is looking forward to with exceeding anticipation, but we are well aware that we do not know the exact timing of his return. Many have speculated and been wrong. So, although we don’t know the day or the hour, and we recognize the possibility it may not occur in our lifetimes, like those living during the time of Titus 2:12-13, we look forward with hope.
Moses had hope in the promise of the future for God’s people. He instructed them and their new leader, Joshua, to move with courage and obey God. Whether hope or faith, this instruction from Moses is timeless and necessary for both. Despite the struggles and challenges that we face in life, we must take courage in our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ and obey the Word of God. We also must recognize that there’s a difference between those that are living under the new covenant and those that were living under the old covenant. Our Great Redeemer ushered in a better covenant between God and us, and through the new covenant that was sealed by the blood of the lamb, we are new creations and have received new life in Christ!
1Corinthians 2:9(NLT) tells us, “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined what God has prepared for those who love him.” John 3:16 tells us that God so loved the world that He sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to the earth to offer up himself as a sacrifice for our sins. Our Heavenly Father did this so that we would not perish but have the gift of eternal life. He did this for everyone. Because of the accomplishment of Jesus Christ on the cross, we will live an eternity with him. We are the children of a God whose Kingdom will never end. The riches and glory of God’s Kingdom are unfathomable, and His limitless, unconditional love endures forever! If we lived ten million years, we would still not scratch the surface of it. The vastness of God’s Kingdom is unimaginable, and this is why no eye has seen or ear heard what He’s prepared for us.
We can’t take it all in and enjoy it all in the right now of this moment, but we can certainly hope for all that God has promised and do so with confidence that it will come. We also can rejoice in faith for those things that will be manifested in our lifetimes. Hebrews 11:1(NLT) says, “Faith is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen; it gives us assurance about things we cannot see.” Faith is the title deed to the blessing we hope to receive, even though it hasn’t yet manifested. Faith is a sure thing! It’s the evidence—the substance—of our prayer request, although it isn’t yet visible to our eyes.
It is clear from God’s Word that there are some things we can only hope for, but there are many more that we can apply our faith and patiently believe God to receive. Disappointment and devastation are sometimes experienced when we place our hope in something that will not yield fruit. It’s when we don’t understand or discern what is actually available for us to receive. In other words, we don’t know what God has for us, and when this is the case, we can’t believe properly. The extraordinarily wonderful good news is that God’s Will is not a guessing game. Jesus Christ has told us in John 10:10 that he came so that we would have access to a more than abundant life, and because of what he has accomplished through his sacrifice and resurrection, we can have it!
Many of us allow ourselves to slip into a doubtful mindset. We hope for the blessings of God, but we are not convinced that He will bless us. God tells us His promises in His Word. In Jeremiah 29:11(NLT) tells us, “For I know the plans I have for you,” says the LORD. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.” God wants us to understand that we can have hope in His plan for us, but it is our responsibility to move hope to faith! We can have a wonderful life that is filled with His goodness and blessings, and we must believe and trust God’s promises to see them manifested in our lives. And if we’re ever unsure of what He has in store for our lives, all we have to do is ask. ■
Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.
“Distinguishing Hope and Faith” written by Reverend Fran Mack, edited by Kim Times, for Sundie Morning Sistas ©2021. All rights reserved. All done to the glory of God through Jesus Christ, our Lord!