Return to the stronghold,
You prisoners of hope.
Even today I declare
That I will restore double to you. (Zechariah 9:12 NKJV)

As Christians, we all have hopes and dreams.  God has promised us to keep us in this world, yet our ultimate anticipation should not be in this world but the next.  Of course, we should maintain until Christ revisits this Earth, yet, looking forward to his emanate return will make us prisoners of hope.

The context of this section of Scripture is that Zechariah was encouraging the Jews about the coming of the Messiah.  A small group of people had returned from exile, but their enemies still surrounded them. He was exhorting them about a coming event.  Hope is always about a future event.  If you have something, you do not have to hope for it.  Hope is said to be the John the Baptist of faith.  It is not the same as faith, but it always goes before it. If you have no hope, you will not have faith.

In this world, we will have troubles.  God has promised either to take away the struggles or to give us grace to go through them, or a combination of the two.  Is our real hope in victories in these temporal issues?  Or is it the one great anticipation that all believers should have, the second coming of Christ.  As the Old Covenant believers looked forward to the coming of the Messiah, should not we, New Testament believers anticipate Christ’s return. Christ is coming again, not as a lamb, but a conquering king, and you will rule and reign with him. He is going to take care of business. Latch on to that truth, and you will be a prisoner of hope.

I worked for seventeen years as a missionary with Youth With A Mission.  My missionary work has taken me to Mexico, Canada, Chile, Argentina, Bolivia, Spain, and Ukraine.  I hold a Masters of Education in curriculum and instruction from Virginia Commonwealth University.  [email protected]