A 2002 theory describes hope in social work as "the perceived capability to derive pathways to desired goals, and motivate oneself via agency thinking to use those pathways.” This seems to say that hope is 1) perceiving a desired goal, 2) perceive pathways to accomplish the desired goal, 3) motivate self to use those pathways.
Sounds like work. The dictionary notes that hope is an optimistic state of mind that is based on an expectation of positive outcomes with respect to events and circumstances in one's life; a feeling of expectation and desire for a certain thing to happen; a feeling of trust.
The word hope is from the early 1200s meaning "to wish for" something, to "desire" something. Today we study looking forward with hope and the point of the study is that we have a sure hope because Jesus came into this world. While it may be natural to have an emotional optimistic feeling about Jesus, since the coming of Jesus into this world there are really no further action necessary to be accomplished for reconciliation with God. The hope referred to then, is the expectation of something desired.
Many in this world loose hope over time. The problem is they are looking in the wrong direction. Hope, the expectation of something desired, doesn't come from outside of us, it comes from within. There is a sure hope for all of us and that hope comes from God.
We look at Isaiah 40 verses 1-5 and 9-11. The overarching theme of Isaiah’s preaching was that God’s will for the people that choose God would come to fruition, but only after the nation was cleansed of those who denied His authority and rebelled against His law. Chapters 1–39 of the book of Isaiah trace the results of choices that the nations of Israel and Judah made in rejecting God and the foreign powers used to teach Judah and Israel. Isaiah 40 introduces the second section of the book and is a call from the Lord for Isaiah to comfort His people with words of hope of a coming return of God’s glory.
1 “Comfort, comfort my people,” says your God.2 “Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and announce to her that her time of hard service is over, her iniquity has been pardoned, and she has received from the Lord’s hand double for all her sins.”
Starting in chapter 40, the book of Isaiah turns on a dime. The first 39 chapters describe, let’s say, gloom and doom, but suddenly there is hope portrayed in this book. God says "comfort, comfort my people." This is the only time in the Old Testament that this word is used, and he repeats it twice. The word comfort indicates to cheer up, console, soothe when in grief or trouble. It indicates a making strong of one who is weak with grief or worry. For 39 chapters the reader of Isaiah has had primarily grief, and worry, and doom, but God calls for Isaiah to strengthen the people of God. This comfort comes from the good news, the Gospel, that the ugly stain of sin will be lifted by a glorious, everlasting era of grace.
In this context the word comfort emphasizes that people’s suffering for their sins had ended. Oh there are still consequences for our sins, but Isaiah introduces the reader to the realization that a time was coming (and is now here) where God would speak to the hearts of men to guide them rather than to the leaders of nations to "steer" humanity. The phrase speak tenderly literally means speak to the heart, the core. God tells Isaiah to strengthen the people who have chosen God as their leader to have a heart to heart with them announcing that the time of hard service, words literally meaning to go to war, is over.
War is from ancient words meaning to bring into confusion and describes the confusion of conflict. The conflict always has been the choice between 1) what God says is beneficial or 2) what humanity says is beneficial actions. Humanity has LONG sought to make their own rules and be the top dog. But Isaiah says that the hard service of the people of the place of peace (Jerusalem) is over. Isaiah points to a future (for him) time when the struggle between choosing God's guidance or Human guidance will be a "no brainer."
Previously the people's woes came upon his people because of their iniquity (perversity, moral evil). The word used is literally derived from a word meaning to make crooked. God's justice is upright, straight, a direct path but human justice wanders depending upon who is rendering the definition of the word, as we have had well illustrated to us in the last four years. When human leaders wander away from the path of God the struggle for the people becomes "who do I follow now?!"
God told Isaiah to let the people know, in his heart to heart talk, that God was aware of the people's struggles and that their wrong choices imposed upon them would be pardoned. God would make a way for His people to be forgiven for their sins and made acceptable before Him. This was ultimately done through Jesus’s sacrificial death. Through His death and resurrection Jesus atoned for the sins of, and reconciled to God, all those who will repent of their sins and place their faith in Him.
Isaiah noted that the results that befell both Israel and Judah was particularly harsh (loosing your national government and being exiled into a foreign land IS particularly harsh). But Isaiah gave the people of God hope by pointing out that there would be a future time when God would pardon their iniquity and they would then receive particularly beneficial results because of God's blessing.
Isaiah next notes that the low will be lifted up, the high will be made level with the low and the rough and rugged ways will become smoother. The glory of the Lord will appear and all humanity together will see it. He tells us:
3 A voice of one crying out: Prepare the way of the Lord in the wilderness; make a straight highway for our God in the desert.4 Every valley will be lifted up, and every mountain and hill will be leveled; the uneven ground will become smooth and the rough places, a plain. 5 And the glory of the Lord will appear, and all humanity together will see it, for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.
In response to the Lord’s command to give comfort and speak tenderly to God’s people, a voice cried out. The speaker is not identified, but the words come from God Himself. The unnamed voice, the word of God, instructs the people to prepare the way. The imagery is from the practice of issuing a proclamation that roads be repaired in expectation of a visit from physical royalty. But since the visitor is God, the reference is not to a physical road, but to a spiritual way, or path by which to live life.
The term prepare means to make clear in the sense of being free from all obstacles. It could be paraphrased "get the rubbish out of the streets, royalty is coming!" This way to be prepared is the Way of God in the Wilderness. The term wilderness refers to to a rocky and barren land. This Way of God is in the rocky and barren life of humanity. Life is hard, and it frequently seems, as Solomon noted, that all is vain, but God's voice calls for a straight highway to be made in this desert, for every low place to be lifted up, and every high place to be leveled, and for rough and rugged places to become smooth and peaceful.
The voice of God is crying out to everyone lost in the wilderness of life to clear out the rubbish from their life and to raise up a highway, a prepared road higher than the surrounding terrain, for God. This highway of God through the wilderness of our beings is to be straight, equitable and fair (straight; lifted up, or leveled; smooth). These are suitable traits by which all of God's people should treat each other and those around them – be fair, be equitable and be straight with one another and with God.
If we walk according to God's highway all of humanity, even non-believers, will see the light of God shining through our lives in order to reveal God to the entire world. There will be a future time when all people will see Jesus at his return.
Isaiah 40:9-11
9 Zion, herald of good news, go up on a high mountain. Jerusalem, herald of good news, raise your voice loudly. Raise it, do not be afraid! Say to the cities of Judah, “Here is your God!”10 See, the Lord God comes with strength, and his power establishes his rule. His wages are with him, and his reward accompanies him.11 He protects his flock like a shepherd; he gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them in the fold of his garment. He gently leads those that are nursing.
Zion is described as a herald of good news. But what is Zion? The word zion is mentioned in the Old Testament as the name of a Jebusite fortress, the stronghold in which Melchezedek inhabited, and which was conquered by David. It was a stronghold, a place of safety, on a high hill, with copious water sources, and served as a mighty fortress. Depending upon which language was the original source of the word, Zion may refer to castle or fortress, desert or wilderness, or even river or brook, for ALL of which the location of Jerusalem, Zion, is known. Originally referring to the fortified hill between the Kidron and Tyropean valleys, over the millennia the term has come to mean the entire vicinity of Jerusalem.
In Isaiah, Zion refers to the city of God from which He will reign in the age to come. In the New Testament, the term is used to refer to the heavenly city of God known as the New Jerusalem. In both instances Zion refers to the attributes found in the original site occupied by the King Melchizedek, priest of the God Most High – a refuge, a stronghold, a source of refreshment, a high place in the wilderness.
Zion is a herald of good news A herald was a royally appointed messenger who would declare a king’s edict or go ahead of a king to a city or town to prepare it for the king’s visit. John the Baptist was the herald who proclaimed the coming of God in the person of Jesus Christ. This herald is commanded to climb to an elevated location to proclaim the good news to all the cities and towns around him. The herald of God’s Good News is commanded to proclaim the message boldly and fearlessly. He can do so because he is speaking in the name and with the authority of Almighty God. And what is this message?
God Himself has come! God will personally be present in power, accomplishing his will among his people. He will carry the newborn believers, he will gently guide the infant believers, he will guard his flock like a shepherd. He has his payment for services rendered with him and will reward accordingly. His power will establish undoubtedly that he IS King.
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