Hope and Honey

 

Hope

“Hope is the only bee that makes honey without flowers.”  I read this quote by Robert Ingersoll recently in a book I purchased.  I was really inspired by that statement.  Hope is not just wishful thinking.  Biblical hope is not the same as optimism.  Jesus said that hope is built on faith, love and the promise of eternal life.  It is not based on worldly possessions or momentary circumstances, but on a relationship with Him.  Hope is the assurance of His promises and His character.  It is a confident trust He will do what he has promised to do.  That sounds like the definition of faith, but hope is the object of our faith.   Faith is defined in Hebrews 11:1 as “confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see”.  Hope is joyful expectations, not with fingers-crossed, but with a boldness.  To have hope is to be courageous.  One scholar writes that “hope” for those who don’t know Jesus is a verb, whereas, for the believer, it is a noun.  It’s not something we “do”, but something we “have”.   In Thessalonians 1:2-3 it says, “Having such a hope, we use great boldness in our speech”.  In Romans 15:13, Paul says “Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you will abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit”.  God himself is hope and has given us the Holy Spirit so we can abound in hope.  Abound means overflowing.  It is not a static condition, but a never-ending supply that is dynamic in nature.  In Psalm 23, “my cup overflows” suggests a generous and limitless provision. 
Referring back to the original quote, if we have hope, we have honey.  Even if we don’t have flowers, we have honey.  Honey in the Bible is a symbol of God’s abundance, His blessings and provisions for us.  The sweetness of honey signifies God’s grace and nourishment for our souls.  In Psalms 119:103, “How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth!”.    Proverbs 16:24 says “Gracious words are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones”.  Proverbs 24:13-14, “Know also that wisdom is like honey for you:  If you find it, there is a future hope for you, and your hope will not be cut off.”  Isaiah 40:31 “Those who hope in the Lord are promised renewed strength and the ability to persevere, even through difficult times.”

The next time you “hope” for something: for example, “I hope it doesn’t rain” or other nonsensical desires, remember that Biblical hope is different and can fill your cup limitlessly.

As the old hymn My Hope is Built on Nothing Less (On Christ the Solid Rock) proclaims:

My hope is built on nothing less,

Than Jesus’ blood and righteousness,

I dare not trust the sweetest frame,

but wholly lean on Jesus’ name.

Tammy Harvey  7/17/2025

PS- I just realized that some of my favorite words begin with H:  Honesty, Humility, Honor, Hope, Health, and now Honey!