Love always…Hopes, Anticipating God’s Future
Love always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.[1]
Hope is a dangerous word. Too many of us have been burned by it, expectations dashed, dreams crumbled, relationships betrayed. Our natural instinct is to hold hope at arm’s length, better to be cautious, realistic, measured. Hope, after all, feels risky.
But Paul writes with unsettling boldness: “Love always hopes.” Not sometimes. Not when the odds look good. Not when people prove themselves worthy, but Love hopes always.
What does Paul mean by this daring claim? Is he advocating for some naïve optimism, a cheery “everything will work out” attitude? Hardly. The Greek word he uses, ἐλπίζει (elpizei), carries a richer, weightier meaning. It is not a shallow wish, but a confident expectation rooted in God’s faithfulness.
In classical Greek, elpizō could indeed mean “to anticipate with pleasure” and Paul reshapes the word with a thoroughly Christian lens. Hope, for him, is not a gamble on human goodness, it is a wager on God’s mercy, it is the holy pleasure of one who knows God is not finished yet.
The Stubborn Future-Orientation of Love
Elpizei is in the present tense, active voice; continuous action. Love keeps on hoping, it refuses to give up, it does not lock people into their past failures or define them by their worst moment.
Love looks at a broken marriage and still whispers, “God can redeem this.”
Love looks at a wandering child and prays, “The story is not over.”
Love looks at a fallen leader, a fractured church, a hopeless world, and clings to the quiet, relentless conviction that resurrection is always possible.
This is not the optimism of fools; it is the hope of the crucified and risen Christ. Love does not deny the reality of pain. It stares the darkness full in the face, and still believes dawn is coming.
A Holy Pleasure
So, does love “anticipate the future with pleasure,” as the Greek might suggest? Yes, but not the giddy pleasure of self-delusion. It is the deep, steady joy of those who have seen God’s faithfulness before and trust Him to be faithful again.
Hope, for Paul, is not a fragile wish but a defiant delight in God’s coming kingdom. It is a holy pleasure because it springs not from what we see now, but from the unshakable character of God.
Living This Hope
To live in this way is costly. To “always hope” means opening ourselves to disappointment, even heartbreak. But it also means sharing in God’s own heart. For God’s love is not cynical, guarded, or calculating. God’s love, as seen in Christ, is stubbornly, recklessly…hopeful.
Think on these things…
Shalom – Shalom,
Jim Varsos
[1] 1 Corinthians 13:7