Wishing and Hoping


Star light, star bright
First star I see tonight
I wish I may
I wish I might
Have the wish I wish tonight

I wasn’t much more than knee high when my grandmother Josephine taught me that poem. Like making a wish before blowing out birthday candles, I believed if I closed my eyes, thought of something I really wanted, and didn’t tell anyone, my wish would come true.

As we get older, we begin to hope for things that seem about as likely to happen as wishes on twinkling stars and glowing cakes. We say that we hope sickness would stop, leaders would lead, relationships would mend, and fighting would end. We hope, and we hope, and we hope some more, without truly believing those hopes will ever come true.

That’s the trouble with the way we use the word hope. We think it is synonymous with something we WISH would come true instead of something we KNOW will most certainly come true. Biblical hope in Jesus never disappoints. (Romans 5:5) It is a sure thing, an absolute, something we can count on! It’s a guarantee for Heaven’s sake! And aren’t we all looking for that? Our hope provides a confident assurance of God’s presence in times of trouble. It ensures our salvation through Jesus and confirms our destination. 

There are all kinds of storms raging around us right now. Some of us may even have emotional storms swirling inside. However, when we know there will be sunshine ahead, we can successfully, and even joyfully, endure a 6-hour drive to the beach in a hurricane (Yes, Ron and I did that last week)! 

Our short struggles here on earth can actually increase our faith and enlarge the hope we have in our forever home. This calm and reassuring hope can be the open door for someone looking for a better way to deal with their own turbulent heartache. Peter says, “If someone asks about your hope as a believer, always be ready to explain it.” (1 Peter 3:15, NLT)

We can’t fully explain our hope without first explaining our faith. Faith powerfully fuses together what we believe about God and the trust we have in Him. 

We believe that God is who the Bible says He is. First and foremost, “God is love.” (1 John 4:8b) We believe that He can do what He says He can do. “I pray that you will continually experience the immeasurable greatness of God’s power made available to you through faith. Then your lives will be an advertisement of this immense power as it works through you! This is the mighty power that was released when God raised Christ from the dead and exalted him to the place of highest honor and supreme authority in the heavenly realm!” (Ephesians 1:19-20, TPT)

We trust that we are who God says we are! We are blessed, loved, chosen, holy, and adopted. (Ephesians 1:3-5) We trust that we can do what God says we can do. “God has made us to be more than conquerors, and his demonstrated love is our glorious victory over everything!” (Romans 8:37b) Don’t you love being on the winning team!

Now, close your eyes, think about where your hope lies, and then let others bask in the glow of all your confident twinkling and shining. 

“Now may God, the fountain of hope, fill you to overflowing with uncontainable joy and perfect peace as you trust in him. And may the power of the Holy Spirit continually surround your life with his super-abundance until you radiate with hope!”  (Romans 15:13, TPT)

Should I WISH or HOPE that you’ll go back and read that last verse one more time? 🙂

Posted in
A Night Sky With Text Saying Wishing and Hoping

Donna Jackson

Chasing a Rabbit Born of Water

By Donna Jackson | May 27, 2025 |

You’ve laced up your boots, strapped on your backpack, and headed down a well-worn and familiar path. Before seeing them, you can picture every tall tree, mossy boulder, and narrow stream. You smile when you see your own boot prints etched in the dirt along the way. You know the trail by heart because you’ve…

Graduating with a Friend

By Donna Jackson | May 20, 2025 |

As I watched my oldest grandson graduate from high school, a tsunami of memories washed over me. There were 699 in my graduating class. On graduation night, names were called, and faces came forward that I didn’t recognize. Unlike my grandson, I didn’t graduate with a whole lot of honors, but I was good friends…

Unforced Rhythms of Grace

By Donna Jackson | May 13, 2025

Our fearless foursome had been transported over land, sea, and air from one Greek map dot to another. It had been a glorious week of capturing picturesque scenery, savoring Mediterranean cuisine, and soaking up Greek culture. However, our vacation was over, and it was time to return home. As we stood in the TSA line,…

What’s Your Legacy?

By Donna Jackson | April 29, 2025

Not long ago, our oldest grandson asked Ron and me if we had to read Macbeth in school. We said we had, and I asked him if he’d read Romeo and Juliet. Before he could answer, I blew layers of dust off the centuries-old “what-light-through-yonder-window-breaks” quote I’d memorized 50 years ago. After delivering it with all the dramatic flair…

Why We Don’t Put Carts Before Horses

By Donna Jackson | April 15, 2025

When our oldest grandchildren were small, we bought a little wooden cart and a pony named Sally. Ron would gather the bridle and harness, hook Sally to the cart, nestle the little ones next to him, and off they would trot down the road. Clip clop. Clip clop. Squeals of delight quickly interrupted the tunes…

Take A Nice, Long Dip

By Donna Jackson | April 8, 2025

It’s Tuesday, and the 12th-grade literature test you’ve put off studying for is tomorrow. You know you should have already read the entire play and made notes. However, you quietly mutter, “Who has time to read?” Besides, Shakespeare’s Old English is hard when you’re so accustomed to new English. You can feel your heart begin…

Lord, Make Me A Bromeliad

By Donna Jackson | March 18, 2025

Last week, Ron and I traveled to South Florida with my son and his family. While there, we enjoyed a fan boat tour of the Everglades. Our young, humorous tour guide expertly navigated the four of us through sparkling waters amongst grassy paths. Indeed, the most powerful evidence of a Supreme Being is demonstrated through…

Rounding Third, Headed for Home

By Donna Jackson | February 25, 2025

Have you ever recorded your team’s sporting event only to have a well-meaning chatterbox reveal who won? There is a marked difference in how we watch a game when we already know our team has won. Sure, we’re interested in the big plays and the color commentary, but our pulse remains steady. There is no…

Exciting News!

By Donna Jackson | February 11, 2025

Hand in Hand

By Donna Jackson | February 4, 2025

This year, I chose to slow down and meander through the New Testament rather than skedaddle through all of Holy Scripture. It’s amazing what you see when you roll the windows down, let the fresh air blow through your hair, and inhale the scenery. I am still amazed by the analogies, metaphors, and allegories Jesus…