Hope

‘The LORD is slow to anger and abounding in loving devotion, forgiving iniquity and transgression. Yet He will by no means leave the guilty unpunished; He will visit the iniquity of the fathers upon their children to the third and fourth generation.’

Is anything too difficult for the LORD? At the appointed time I will return to you—in about a year—and Sarah will have a son.”

But if a serious injury results, then you must require a life for a life—

For the needy will not always be forgotten; nor the hope of the oppressed forever dashed.

where then is my hope? Who can see any hope for me?

O Israel, put your hope in the LORD, for with the LORD is loving devotion, and with Him is redemption in abundance.

perseverance, character; and character, hope.

For everything that was written in the past was written for our instruction, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures, we might have hope.

Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, persistent in prayer.

On a similar note, Rabbi Ḥama, son of Rabbi Ḥanina, said: A person who prayed and saw that he was not answered should pray again, as it is stated: “Hope in the Lord, strengthen yourself, let your heart take courage, and hope in the Lord” (Psalms 27:14). One should turn to God with hope, and if necessary turn to God again with hope.

When Rabbi Ami reached this verse, he cried: “Let him put his mouth in the dust, perhaps there may be hope” (Lamentations 3:29). He said: A sinner suffers through all this punishment and only perhaps there may be hope? When Rabbi Ami reached this verse, he cried: “Seek righteousness, seek humility; perhaps you shall be hidden on the day of the Lord’s anger”(Zephaniah 2:3). He said: All of this is expected of each individual, and only perhaps God’s anger may be hidden? Likewise, when Rabbi Asi reached this verse, he cried: “Hate the evil, and love the good, and establish justice in the gate; perhaps the Lord, the God of hosts, will be gracious” (Amos 5:15). He said: All of this, and only perhaps?

If torments are afflicting a person, if illnesses are afflicting him, or if he is burying his children, one may not speak to him in the manner that the friends of Job spoke to him: “Is not your fear of God your confidence, and your hope the integrity of your ways? Remember, I beseech you, whoever perished, being innocent?” (Job 4:6–7). Certainly you sinned, as otherwise you would not have suffered misfortune.

But lo! with hardship goeth ease Lo! with hardship goeth ease

Wealth and children are an ornament of the life of the world. But the good deeds which endure are better in thy Lord's sight for reward, and better in respect of hope

Seek help in patience and prayer; and truly it is hard save for the humble-minded

Narrated ʿUrwa: I asked ʿAisha the wife of the Prophet (ﷺ) about the meaning of the following Verse: -- "(Respite will be granted) 'Until when the apostles give up hope (of their people) and thought that they were denied (by their people)..............."(12.110) ʿAisha replied, "Really, their nations did not believe them." I said, "By Allah! They were definite that their nations treated them as liars and it was not a matter of suspecting." ʿAisha said, "O 'Uraiya (i.e. ʿUrwa)! No doubt, they were quite sure about it." I said, "May the Verse be read in such a way as to mean that the apostles thought that Allah did not help them?" Aisha said, "Allah forbid! (Impossible) The Apostles did not suspect their Lord of such a thing. But this Verse is concerned with the Apostles' followers who had faith in their Lord and believed in their apostles and their period of trials was long and Allah's Help was delayed till the apostles gave up hope for the conversion of the disbelievers amongst their nation and suspected that even their followers were shaken in their belief, Allah's Help then came to them

Narrated Anas bin Malik: The Prophet (ﷺ) drew a few lines and said, "This is (man's) hope, and this is the instant of his death, and while he is in this state (of hope), the nearer line (death) comes to Him

Narrated Ibn ʿAbbas: The Prophet (ﷺ) used to say at the time of difficulty, 'La ilaha il-lallah Al-ʿAlimul-Halim. La-ilaha illallah Rabul- Arsh-al-Azim, La ilaha-il-lallah Rabus-Samawati Rab-ul-Ard; wa Rab-ul-Arsh Al- Karim.' (See Hadith No. 356 and 357, Vol)

After many lives, at last the wise one realizes Me as I am. It is very difficult to find a man so enlightened that he sees God everywhere.

Having failed in both, my Lord, is he without hope, like a riven cloud with no support, lost on the spiritual path?

This inner severance from the affliction of misery is spirituality. It should be practiced with determination and with a heart that refuses to be depressed.

Arise! Awake! Having reached the Great Ones (illumined Teachers), gain understanding. The path is as sharp as a razor, impassable and difficult to travel, so the wise declare.

If one knows It here, that is Truth; if one knows It not here, then great is his loss. The wise seeing the same Self in all beings, being liberated from this world, become immortal.

Yama said: The good is one thing and the pleasant another. These two, having different ends, bind a man. It is well with him who chooses the good. He who chooses the pleasant misses the true end.

A friend in need is a blessing; it’s a blessing to be content with whatever; good deeds are a blessing at the end of life, and giving up all suffering is a blessing.

Rid of dark qualities, an astute person would develop the bright. Having left home for homelessness in seclusion, where joy is hard,

The people give according to their faith, according to their confidence. If you get upset over that, over others’ food and drink, you’ll not, by day or by night, become immersed in samādhi.

118 “These two hopes are hard to give up. What two? The hope for wealth and the hope for long life. These are two hopes that are hard to give up.”

Poverty is said to be suffering in the world, and so is being in debt. A poor person who has fallen into debt frets even when spending the loan. And then they’re prosecuted, or even thrown in jail. Such imprisonment is true suffering for someone who prays for pleasure and possessions. In the same way, in the Noble One’s training whoever has no faith, no conscience or prudence, contemplates bad deeds.

At one time several senior mendicants were staying near Kosambī in Ghosita’s monastery. Now at that time Venerable Khemaka was staying in the Jujube Tree Monastery, and he was sick, suffering, gravely ill. In the late afternoon those senior mendicants came out of retreat and addressed Venerable Dāsaka, “Please, Reverend Dāsaka, go to the mendicant Khemaka and say to him: ‘Reverend Khemaka, the seniors hope you’re keeping well; they hope you’re all right. They hope your pain is fading, not growing; that its fading is evident, not its growing.’” “Yes, reverends,” replied Dāsaka. He went to Khemaka and said to him: “Reverend Khemaka, the seniors hope you’re keeping well; they hope you’re all right. They hope your pain is fading, not growing; that its fading is evident, not its growing.” “Reverend, I’m not keeping well, I’m not getting by. My pain is terrible and growing, not fading; its growing is evident, not its fading.”

She has lost hope - so many days have passed. I have travelled through all the lands and the countries. I cannot survive, even for an instant, without the feet of my Beloved. When God becomes Merciful, I become fortunate, and then I meet Him. ||3||

Fifth Mehl: The lover is without hope, but within my mind, there is great hope. In the midst of hope, only You, O Lord, remain free of hope; I am a sacrifice, a sacrifice, a sacrifice to You. ||2||

Third Mehl: Nothing is in the hands of hope. How can one become free of hope? What can this poor being do? The Lord Himself creates confusion. ||2||

The people suffer from famine because of the multitude of taxes consumed by their superiors. It is through this that they suffer famine. The people are difficult to govern because of the (excessive) agency of their superiors (in governing them). It is through this that they are difficult to govern. The people make light of dying because of the greatness of their labours in seeking for the means of living. It is this which makes them think light of dying. Thus it is that to leave the subject of living altogether out of view is better than to set a high value on it.

(It is the way of the Tao) to act without (thinking of) acting; to conduct affairs without (feeling the) trouble of them; to taste without discerning any flavour; to consider what is small as great, and a few as many; and to recompense injury with kindness. (The master of it) anticipates things that are difficult while they are easy, and does things that would become great while they are small. All difficult things in the world are sure to arise from a previous state in which they were easy, and all great things from one in which they were small. Therefore the sage, while he never does what is great, is able on that account to accomplish the greatest things. He who lightly promises is sure to keep but little faith; he who is continually thinking things easy is sure to find them difficult. Therefore the sage sees difficulty even in what seems easy, and so never has any difficulties.

When one is about to take an inspiration, he is sure to make a (previous) expiration; when he is going to weaken another, he will first strengthen him; when he is going to overthrow another, he will first have raised him up; when he is going to despoil another, he will first have made gifts to him:—this is called “Hiding the light (of his procedure).” The soft overcomes the hard; and the weak the strong. Fishes should not be taken from the deep; instruments for the profit of a state should not be shown to the people.