Wish and Hope ~
These two characters run hand in hand and are often linked closely! They resemble a set of twins; however, looking closely, differences can be seen.
Wish: Feel or express a strong desire or hope for something not easily attainable. A desire or hope for something; want of something that cannot or probably will not happen. Oxford Languages
I keep hearing Disney’s theme song, “When You Wish Upon a Star,” Right, just throw it out there, into the cosmos, and hope it sticks! No wonder it probably won’t happen! I don’t feel overly optimistic here!
Hope: A feeling or expectation and desire for a certain thing to happen. A feeling of trust. A want of something to happen or be the case. Oxford Languages
Ok, we are feeling much better with this word! Please notice a few things here; one, the word hope is in the definition of the word wish, but nowhere in the definition of the word hope do we see the word wish; second, within the word wish, we read probably will not happen, but within hope, we know a feeling of trust!
Why is that? Well, I can only give you my thoughts, and they are that within the word, hope springs the Holy Spirit! The Spirit of God rests within Hope!
The Bible version I often use is the “ESV” (English Standard Version), so I looked up how many times the word hope appears 164 times; in the KJV (King James Version), it appears 130 times.
Romans 15:13 ESV “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.”
Jeremiah 29:11 ESV “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.”
Romans 5:5 ESV “And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.”
Romans 8:26 ESV “But we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.”
Romans 12:12 ESV “Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.” Constant in Prayer!!!
So, the next time you blow out your birthday candles followed by a wish or make a wish upon a night star, follow it with a prayer of hope! ☺️
Sunshine On My Shoulder 