I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers, that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him, having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you. Ephesians 1:16-18a (ESV)
Paul’s prayer for the Ephesians was that God would open the eyes of their hearts so that they would know the hope to which God had called them. If you break that down in the Greek, Paul was praying that the deep thoughts of their minds (eyes of their hearts) would be full of light (enlightened) so that they would have clear vision to perceive (know) the anticipation and expectation (hope) to which God had invited (called) them.
What is the hope of our calling? Hope has to do with the unseen and the future. It is not a hope like “we hope the sun shines today.” Biblical hope is the anticipation and expectation of good; something in which there is confidence. Paul wrote to the Roman church, And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience. (Romans 8:23-25 ESV)
We find the revelation of our hope written in the pages of scripture. Paul wrote, For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope. (Romans 15:4 ESV) We have hope in the following: the resurrection of the dead (Acts 23:6; 1 Corinthians 15:19; 1 Peter 1:3), the glory of God (Romans 5:2; Colossians 1:27; 1 Timothy 1:1), God’s deliverance (2 Corinthians 1:10), righteousness (Galatians 5:5), eternal life (Titus 1:2; 3:7), the appearing of Jesus (Titus 2:13), and future grace (1 Peter 1:13).
The apostle Paul wrote to the Colossians, To them God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. (Colossians 1:27 ESV) Paul also wrote to Timothy that Christ Jesus is our hope (1 Timothy 1:1). Without Christ none of the hopes listed above would be possible.
The complete work of Christ encompasses our hope. His sinless life and death on the cross gives us hope that our sins are forgiven and we will one day be sinless. His resurrection is our hope that we too will rise from the dead. His return to earth is our hope that we will have eternal life with him and be partakers of his glory. Our hope is secured and preserved in Jesus Christ.
Have you found hope in Jesus?
Scriptures for meditation:
2 Thessalonians 2:16
1 Timothy 4:10
Hebrews 3:6; 6:11; 10:23
1 Peter 1:21