“I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you may know what is the hope of His calling,” (Eph 1:18 NAS)
The word “calling” is from a Greek word, klesis. It could be a legal summons or an invitation to dinner, but from God it is a call on your life to be saved. For thirty years I worked as an engineer making medical devices. That is a job, a career even. When people ask why I quit to become a pastor, I can say it is because I have a calling, and a vocation. In a very real sense it is beyond whatever we do in this life to earn a living.
Knowing that is what gives us hope, not an imaginary dream to console you when times get tough, but that the LORD of the universe who knows everything about your past, still calls you to be His. Hope for those in the church is confidence and assurance in the ultimate reality that only God can bring about, according to His promises, which is why the Bible can say hope is an “anchor of the soul” (Hebrews 6:19).
“As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received.” (Eph 4:1 NIV)