Through The Bible in a Year - August 14, 2026

“He [Jesus] said to them, What is this conversation that you are holding with each other as you walk?” …And they said to him, ‘Concerning Jesus of Nazareth, a man who was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people… But we had hoped that he was the one to redeem Israel.’” - Luke 24:19-21

Three of the saddest words in Scripture: “We had hoped.”

Past tense. Hope spoken of as something that was and is no longer. They had believed He was the one—the long-awaited Redeemer, the fulfillment of everything promised. Then, He was crucified. He died. And, with Him, hope died too.

So, they walked from Jerusalem where the One in whom they had hoped had died. And they talked. And they told the story to the stranger who joined them on the road, not knowing they were telling it to the very one they were mourning.

What’s remarkable is not simply that these disciples did not recognize Jesus, but they did not realize that anything amazing had actually happened. The information was all there. Women had gone to Jesus’ tomb and found it empty. Angels had announced He was alive. Some of the disciples had gone to verify and found the tomb empty just as the women said. All of this was known.

And still: “We had hoped.” Past tense. The evidence was present, but the hope was past. We should understand. Hope that has been crushed doesn’t revive easily, even when the evidence is right in front of you.

“We had hoped” is an honest declaration that should lead to honest prayer. It’s not faithlessness to name the gap between what you believed and what you’re currently experiencing. The disciples didn’t hide their grief from Jesus. They told Him exactly where they were—even though they didn’t know they were telling Him.

There is something to learn in their response and in Jesus’s readiness to receive it without rejecting them. When you bring your dashed hopes to Jesus—when you name them plainly, in the past tense, if that’s where you are—you are not betraying your faith. You are doing what the disciples did: walking with Jesus, talking with Him, telling Him the truth about where you are.

The great blessing in this account is not only that Jesus was present, but He was listening. He turned the past tense to present tense by remaining the disciples’ hope even when they did not realize it.

Respond: What hope have you been speaking of in the past tense? What did you believe God was going to do that hasn’t happened?

You can name it specifically when you talk to Him in prayer. Don’t smooth it over with religious language. The disciples said it plainly: “We had hoped He was the one to redeem Israel.” They thought Jesus had failed.

Bring your “we had hoped” to Jesus this week. Tell Him exactly what you expected that didn’t happen. He can handle it. He walked seven miles listening to people mourn His own death. Then He showed them that He was not done—nor were they.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, I confess that some of my hope has gone past tense. There are things that I had hoped for that haven’t gone the way I expected. I’m not sure what to do with that. But the disciples told You everything—even their grief about You—and You listened. Then, You turned everything around according to your plan. So, I’m telling You something now that you already know: I had hoped. Meet me in that honest place. Bring me back to present tense of renewed hope. You promise such hope and I need it. So, I pray In Your name, Amen.