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.

We can have hope amidst the monumental problems facing the world, not in a physical sense, for no place on earth offers an island of peace, but in a spiritual expectation of fulfillment. Biblical hope is far more than a mere wish; it is an expectation of good despite multiple obstacles, anchored in the unfailing character and power of Almighty God. As described in Hebrews 6:18-19, this hope in God's promises serves as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, dispelling fears of frustration and despair. Hope, used as a noun, points to the object of our expectation, such as the resurrection of the dead or God's unchanging nature, while as a verb, it reflects our strong, hopeful attitude toward that good. God often delays the fulfillment of His promises, yet this delay is not due to indifference; He knows precisely what each individual needs to fit into His creation. Hope seeks a measure of security in the present to attain what lies ahead in the future, always grounded in God's historical witness of His unfailing character. Our charge is to ensure our reasons for hope are firmly rooted in God Himself and His promises, allowing hope to arise within us and motivate the working out of our salvation.

Hope, in its truest sense, is not a mere wish or a vague desire for something to happen, but an expectation of fulfillment rooted in trust and confidence. It is the anticipation of good, especially in a spiritual context, where the expectation is not based on visible signs but on the unwavering belief in God's promises. This hope is distinct from the worldly view, which often sees it as an uncertain longing for material gains or improvements, lacking the assurance of attainment. Instead, for those who trust in God, hope is a conviction that what is promised will come to pass, as it rests on the unbreakable Word of God. It is this expectation of fulfillment that supports and sustains through trials, carrying the believer with a strength that mere wishing cannot provide. Unlike the audacity to hope without reason, this hope is grounded in the certainty that God hears and answers, fostering perseverance as we eagerly await what we do not yet see.

Hope, as an expectation of fulfillment, permeates our existence as creations and children of God. Despite our frailties and damaged nature, we are subjected to these weaknesses in hope for the repair of all our defects and the renewal of our bodies upon adoption and redemption. This hope extends beyond us to the entire creation, encompassing the physical world around us, all sharing in the anticipation of restoration. Our hope is a living one, anchored in Jesus Christ, who is both the goal and the means through whom this hope is realized. As the One we depend upon, His ongoing work on our behalf assures us of the fulfillment of this hope. This expectation of fulfillment is strengthened by faith, which underpins our confidence in God's power and willingness to complete His spiritual creation in each of us. Our hope motivates us toward right actions and supports the vision of eternal life in the Kingdom of God, driving us to strengthen our relationship with Him. This hope, placed in us by God, focuses not on ourselves but on Jesus Christ and His work, becoming a genuine virtue as it inspires good works and love for others. With each passing day, this hope draws closer to its promised fulfillment, promising a future where the whole earth will be filled with the knowledge of God, and we will no longer be broken or damaged, but heirs according to the hope of eternal life through His grace.