Understanding Hope - A Common Misconception

Hope is a powerful psychological state of mind, which is often characterized by an anticipation of a happy outcome with regard to future events and circumstances, regardless of how bad or good they may turn out to be. It is used as the fundamental attitude by which to view one's own self worth and the prospects for attaining it. It is the driving force that propels forward efforts towards achievement and success. However, while hope is a positive emotion, one must be careful about how hope is used.


The mistake most people make with regards to hope and optimism is to confuse it with belief. In fact hope and optimism are completely different entities. The following discussion will clarify the difference between these two entities.

The notion of hope and faith is not found in the Bible, as we are aware of the fact that it originated with the philosophy of the Roman Catholic Church fathers. For them, the hope was something that can be expected from the future, just as much as the concept of prophecy. For them, the hope was something that could be relied upon without being able to verify if it were actually fulfilled. They believed that there would be a time when the Roman Catholic Church would triumph over its enemies and the papacy would be restored. Their hope was then that everything that had been lost and destroyed in the course of the struggle for the papacy would be restored.

This hope is also found in the psalm of Solomon, who in the 7th century BCE wrote the book of Songs of Solomon. In this book, hope is described as a kind of divine light that guides and protects the soul. Hope is not something that is found in human beings alone, but it is associated with the idea of religion and faith. People have hope that they will one day see their relative dead body or hear their relative voice from beyond the grave. There is a great deal of hope that underlies such ideas and they are all part and parcel of the Christian faith.

The psalm also describes hope as a special kind of fruitfulness. As the psalm goes on to say, God has placed "me" in "the right hand of his Lord," which basically means that He has put me in charge of His affairs. This shows that hope is something that is not dependent on anything or anyone else. Hope is dependent on God, and it is up to Him whether He makes those dreams come true. There is nothing that we can do to make the Lord happy.

Another way that hope is described in the Song of Solomon is when it is said that the Lord will make a show of your distress and tribulation. This can be interpreted in two different ways by Christians. Some believe that the words refer to the fact that when we are afflicted with great suffering and hardship, He will make you suffer even more. On the other hand, some believe that the meaning means that the song is talking about is that when you have hope your hopes will ultimately lead you to victory over your affliction.

Hope is a concept that has been around for centuries, as is evident by the fact that the New Testament contains many references to it. Even the words of the philosopher Aristotle had been associated with hope. It is possible that hope is what initially guided the Jews when they waited for the coming of Jesus.


Hopefully, you can see hope is all around us. We just need to open our eyes to it. As you read the Song of Solomon, it is very likely that the writer was referring to hope when he wrote this particular psalm. Hopefully, you will use it to gain hope for your future and let the Lord help you to grow abundantly. Let us hope!