"Turn ye to the strong hold, ye prisoners of hope: even today do I declare that I will render double unto thee;" - Zechariah 9:12
The prophet Zechariah uttered the above plea to the Jews who were still in Babylon. Other Jews had already returned to Israel from Babylon, but some still tarried in the pagan city instead of returning to their ancient homeland and sharing in the restoring of the Jewish nation They intended to return and hoped to return to their native Jewish land, but some of their excuses for not doing so were that "they were not willing to break up their associations in Babylon, family ties, increasing wealth there, and business relations." They indeed had a vague hope of returning to the Jewish nation "someday". They procrastinated. "Procrastination includes hope, but it is a hope that imprisons."
We all have hope where the eternal salvation of our souls is concerned. None of us intend to be among the lost. We all have hope that we will not perish forever, or should I say, that we will not burn in hell forever.. But some of us put off coming to Christ and accepting Him as our Savior and Lord and Master. We think there is plenty of time and we will get around to it someday. We may be involved in pleasures of the world, or too busy with our careers, or we may even feel we are so sinful there is no hope for us. So we become prisoners of hope, thinking that someday we will get right with the Lord "when the time is right". It is an imprisoning hope that keeps us from responding to the gentle, pleading voice of Jesus who is knocking on the door of our heart, asking us to turn to Him in faith and obedience. "Someday" you say, "but not yet."
"(For He saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succoured thee: behold, now is the day of salvation.)" - 2 Corinthians 6:2
"Now is the day of salvation." Repent and turn to Jesus so you may spend eternity in bliss with Him in Paradise. You do not want to face the alternative choice, which is hell.
"Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." - Hebrews 11:1
We all know what the word hope means. One of its definitions is "trust." True believers trust in Jesus and have faith in His promises and in the salvation He offers. We have a hope for a glorious future in all of eternity. Therefore, in a sense, true believers are prisoners of hope as well. We are prisoners on this wicked earth, and long to be with our Lord . We have "the blessed hope", and are "looking for the glorious appearing of the great God and our Savior Jesus Christ." (Titus 2:13).
We are "prisoners of hope" by our faith in Jesus and by His promises to us. This is expressed beautifully in the following song:
Romans 8:24-25 . "(24) For we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for? (25) But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it."
"And now, Lord, what wait I for? My hope is in thee." - Psalm 39:7
"In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began;" - Titus 1:2
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