Behind the pervasive gloom of personal, societal, and ecclesiastical struggles, there shines a blinding ray of hope. Passover, despite the weight of darker matters, emerges as a time of profound hope, inseparably linked to the expectation of fulfillment. Hope, as revealed through biblical narratives, is rooted in a confident, enduring expectation, grounded in faith in God. This hope is not fleeting but a stable rock to cling to, regardless of circumstances, because Christians trust God to fulfill His promises. In the story of Job, hope begins as a mere speculation, a wish for life beyond death, based on his understanding of God's desire for relationship with His creation. Though uncertain, Job's intuition—that God yearns for companionship with His creatures—plants the seed of hope, hinting at a future fulfillment. This glimmer of expectation, though not fully realized in Job's time, points to the foundation of Christian hope: a relational trust in God's nature. David's life further illustrates this hope as an expectation of deliverance. Through an intimate, lifelong relationship with God, David trusted Him to rescue him from every predicament, whether facing enemies or personal failures. His hope, expressed simply as reliance on God, was confident because it was built on knowing God's unchanging character. This trust allowed David to expect God's intervention and fulfillment of promises, no matter the situation. The psalmist in Psalm 33 reinforces this by contrasting human sources of hope—armies, strength, or speed—with the enduring hope found in God's holy name. Trusting in God's righteous, unchanging nature provides a confident expectation of good, a hope that brings joy even amidst severe trials, because God will always act according to His perfect character. In the New Testament, Paul acknowledges this hope in I Thessalonians, noting the patience of hope in Jesus Christ. This hope, funneled through trust in Christ as Mediator and Savior, is based on knowing Him and the Father. Christ's own journey—death, resurrection, and ascension—serves as a pattern, giving assurance that what happened to Him will happen to believers, fostering a confident expectation of ultimate fulfillment. The Passover narratives amplify this theme of hope as expectation. Abraham, in Genesis 22, faced the command to sacrifice Isaac but held hope based on God's promises and character. His expectation that God would provide a substitute or even raise Isaac from death drove his actions, a hope validated when God provided the ram. Similarly, during the first Passover in Exodus 11, the children of Israel acted on specific instructions and promises from God, expecting freedom and wealth after the final plague. Their hope, focused on God's actions and past faithfulness, brought joy despite surrounding tragedy, confident in His fulfillment of redemption. Even on the night of His betrayal, Jesus Christ exhibited hope as a confident expectation. Facing arrest and death, He spoke with assurance of returning to the Father, urging His disciples to rejoice in the fulfillment of God's plan. His trust in God's promises, even in the face of suffering, as seen in John 14 and 19, reflects an unwavering expectation of resurrection and ascension, a hope that was ultimately justified. Finally, in Hebrews 12, Paul encourages believers to emulate Christ's hope. Despite trials, Christ's endurance was fueled by the joy of expected fulfillment, now a historic reality and a promise for all. Believers are urged to move forward through difficulties with the same confident expectation, knowing they have come to a greater, awesome reality in the New Covenant. This hope, rooted in God's promises and Christ's example, assures fulfillment beyond present struggles, inspiring strength and pursuit of holiness with unwavering trust in God's ultimate plan.

In the New Testament, hope, represented by the Greek word elpis and its verb form elpizo, carries a profound sense of confident expectation, particularly in awaiting salvation with joy and full assurance. This hope is sharply focused on the return of Christ and the establishment of God's Kingdom on earth, instilling confidence in those who hold it that these events will come to pass. As seen in Hebrews 6:11-12, the author urges believers to maintain diligence in their hope until the end, to avoid becoming sluggish, emphasizing a steadfast, confident expectancy. Further, in Hebrews 6:17-18, it is highlighted that God's unchanging promise and oath—two immutable things in which it is impossible for Him to lie—provide strong consolation to those who have fled for refuge, encouraging them to lay hold of the hope set before them. This act of seizing and clinging to hope, as if reaching out to grasp what He holds out, serves as a powerful motivator, keeping believers focused and moving forward amidst life's dangers and temptations. Hope, in this sense, is not merely a wish, but a dynamic force driving obedience and faithfulness, rooted in the assurance of God's promises.