Hope
The Bible project folks have done a nice job with this word study on hope. What I think is most catching is the difference between optimism and hope. Sometimes hope and optimism are confused with each other, but optimism is about choosing to see, in any situation, how circumstances could work out for the best. Biblical hope isn’t focused on circumstances. In fact, hopeful people in the Bible often recognize there’s no evidence things will get better, but you choose hope anyway.
Biblical hope, they say, isn’t optimism based on the odds. It’s a choice to wait for God to bring about a future that’s as surprising as a crucified man rising from the dead. Christian hope looks back to the risen Jesus in order to look forward, and so we wait. And that’s what the biblical words for hope are all about.
Adapted from the Bible Project