Hoping against hope?

The word 'hope' is used quite sarcastically in the world today.
For eg: If I say, "I hope to come tomorrow" - it may most probably mean, that i might not come (or) I wish not to come.
It doesn't give a certainty or an assurance which can be guaranteed.
It has a lot of negative connotations to it.
Whereas on the contrary, biblically speaking, HOPE is always the assurance of things to come!
It's something which brightens up our life.
It's something which we live for!

Luke 24:21 - "... but we had hoped that he was the one who was going to redeem Israel. And what is more, it is the third day since all this took place".

Here the 2 disciples were on their way back to Emmaus from Jerusalem. It was a long walk (7 miles / 11.2 kms away), but they were willing to take that gruelling walk back, and what more - but with a sense of hopelessness & despair.
Their hope seems to have been dashed.

We see that these 2 disciples had come on a journey this far because of the hope they had. And their expectations were based on that hope - although it was a false 'hope'.
Jesus did not promise what they had hoped for!

On hindsight, these 2 were on the verge of experiencing even something spectacular, when they decided to take that long walk back.
Never mind, how far they had come .. but at the verge of experiencing a new thing, they had given up.

• Where are we today?
• Have we come on a journey expecting something from God?
• Are we disappointed that we are not experiencing that?
• Are we calling it quits, because our hopes are dashed?

Don't give up yet - you may just be on the verge of experiencing His newness in life.

Perhaps your hopes are based on something which is not quite right.
These 2 had a wrong perception of the Messiah - that He was going to literally redeem Israel from the Roman Empire.


The 3rd day after crucifixion was a significant day - it was the day of Resurrection - when the bondage was broken; when the curse over death was shattered.
They even got to hear about the witness from the ladies who had visited the tomb early that day - but because of the pre-conceived idea they had about the Messiah, they couldn't come to grips with what had happened.

Don't quit.
Keep hoping in God.
Keep trusting in His promises.

These 2 disciples had the privilege of having an encounter with the Lord, although they had turned back - but not many have that privilege.

Let's not give up! Let's hope against the hopelessness and despair which the world throws at us.
Let's trust in His promises - promises, based on His Word.