Growing up in the church, I’ve heard pastors and others mention this phrase several times: “Hope deferred makes the heart sick.” As with many popular verses, popular biblical statements can become cliché, which often hides the deeper biblical truth. God means for these truths to impact our hearts and lives, and we often need to take a new look at these old, familiar verses.
Especially as many struggle with personal and financial hardships, digging further into the truth of “hope deferred makes the heart sick” will actually bring God’s hope to those who need it.
Where Does the Phrase “Hope Deferred Makes the Heart Sick” Come From?
“Hope deferred makes the heart sick” can be found in Proverbs 13:12. Proverbs is part of the Bible’s wisdom literature and collection of wise sayings, most of which are attributed to King Solomon, David’s son. Proverbs offers practical insights into everyday living, based on God’s revelation, including righteousness and discipline. The full verse (verse 12) states, “Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life.”
Proverbs chapter 13 addresses themes of wisdom and the consequences of various behaviors. The chapter contrasts the righteous and the wicked, the lazy and the diligent, the foolish and the wise. It explores how actions and attitudes influence outcomes. Earlier in the chapter, verse 4 says, “A sluggards appetite is never filled, but the desires of the diligent are fully satisfied,” supporting the idea that effort and perseverance lead to fulfillment.
“Hope deferred makes the heart sick” reflects the human experience of longing but points to an even higher, divine truth.
What is the Meaning of “Hope Deferred”?
Within Proverbs 13:12, the word for hope is tiqvah, whose meaning includes expectation, longing, or a certain anticipated outcome. Tiqvah points to more than a passive wish. It’s an eager, confident hope in a future event. This godly hope has a sense of assurance. The person who has tiquvah truly believes the desired outcome will eventually come to pass.
The word for deferred is mashak, meaning to draw out or prolong. It conveys the sense of an extended delay, where something a person expects is postponed over a long time. The delay causes frustration and disappointment since the person who hopes finds themselves waiting far longer than anticipated.
Placing these two together, “hope deferred” communicates a situation in which someone waits eagerly for something important, but it’s delayed. Delaying this hope tests patience and leads to frustration or worse.
How Does “Hope Deferred” Make the Heart Sick?
The proverb gives the natural result of delayed hope—a type of sickness, a heavy heart. People feel like they’re losing strength and endurance begins to fail.
The phrase “makes the heart sick” uses the Hebrew word challah, which means to weaken, become feeble, or injured. Here, it describes an emotional or perhaps spiritual weakness that comes from unmet expectations. When a person’s hope continues to be postponed, it affects the heart, a biblical term to represent the center of a person’s soul (thoughts, feelings, will).
The waiting period challenges a person’s ability to sustain hope. As the delay draws out, the pain increases, leading to feelings of disappointment, doubt, and despair. People begin to give up. God’s hope is sure, but when fulfillment becomes pushed further into the future, God’s promises seem more difficult to believe. Individuals grow weary, and hearts ache.
The “father of our faith,” Abraham, experienced this along with his wife, Sarah. God promised them something impossible—a son, despite the fact that they were far too old. The years dragged on after God's promise was made. Impatience and an element of disbelief set in. Sarah convinced Abraham to try to fulfill God’s promise a different way, to have a son through her servant Hagar.
But the proverb doesn’t end with “hope deferred makes the heart sick.” It ends with, “but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life.” Waiting can seem long and impossible to endure, but God desires to give us the joyful tree of life by fulfilling his promises in his time. The “tree of life” symbolizes abundance, a reward for enduring the wait. The fulfillment leads to renewal if the believer will just endure a while longer.
In Abraham’s case, God did fulfill his promise. Sarah miraculously became pregnant, and the son of promise, Isaac, was born.
What Does the Bible Teach about Waiting on God?
Many times our thoughts on waiting suggest a passive attitude. However, the Bible teaches that waiting on God is an active process filled with choosing to hope and trust. Waiting on God becomes an intentional act of faith in God’s timing and his promises. Scripture often encourages Christians to wait on the Lord as a time of preparation and growing in faith.
The well-known verse from Isaiah 40:31 gives a clear perspective regarding waiting on God. “But those who wait on the Lord will renew their strength; they will mount up with wings like eagles, they will run and not be weary, they will walk and not faint.” The Hebrew word for wait in this verse is qavah, very similar to the one for hope in Proverbs 13:12 (tiqvah). Qavah means waiting with expectation, hope, and trust. The word qavah also has the sense of binding together or entwining, as if waiting on the Lord draws a person into deeper dependence and connection with God. Other translations even use hope instead of wait in Isaiah 40:31.
The prophet Isaiah teaches that waiting on God includes hopeful and assured expectation. The combination of waiting in a secure hope gives believers renewed strength. Instead of discouragement and despair, Christians can find more energy and strength. Godly waiting becomes incredibly active—flying like eagles, walking, and running. God gives this strength, enabling us to move forward with endurance.
Along with Abraham, other examples from the Bible show how believers can actively wait on God.
Though anointed as king at a young age, David waited several years before he took the throne. During the wait, he faced many trials, including fleeing from King Saul, who threatened David despite his innocence. Instead of taking matters into his own hands, David trusted in God, actively waiting by gathering mighty men around him. David refused to take the kingship by force, even though he had opportunity (1 Samuel 24). His waiting included prayers and psalms.
Hannah longed for a child, and she also actively waited on God. In her barrenness, she didn’t sit by and do nothing. She visited the Tabernacle, prayed, and poured out her heart to God (1 Samuel 1:10-11). Hope and persistent prayer marked her waiting, and in God’s time, he answered her request with the birth of a deliverer for Israel in Samuel.
Therefore, waiting on God isn’t passive but active. Believers intentionally believe and hope, praying and trusting with obedient hearts. Throughout Scripture, those who waited on God held fast to his promises and allowed him to work. This active waiting does two main things. First, it gives all glory to God for his work and power. Second, believers draw even closer to God through the process, a deep heart dying to self and living unto faith, giving people greater strength.
How Can Christians Apply This Verse to Their Lives?
In a world of instant gratification, sold to us urgently every day through the media and other avenues, waiting on God tests our faith. It can make us feel discouraged, frustrated, or even tempted to quit. Yet, in these seasons, we must develop endurance and trust that God is faithful to fulfill his promises.
First, prayer isn’t doing nothing. Our modern culture often mocks “prayers” as if they do no good. Nothing could be further from the truth. Jesus himself prayed and even now intercedes on our behalf before the Father’s throne in heaven (Romans 8:34). We, therefore, commit ourselves to prayer, which exemplifies our belief that only God can change anything. Only he can do his work. Prayer keeps us connected to God and focused on his promises. Regular prayer invites God into our circumstances and enables us to trust him with our desires, frustrations, and longings. Through our intercession, we become more like the High Priest.
Second, we also must believe in God’s absolute goodness. The Father rewards those who earnestly and diligently seek him (Hebrews 11:6). Diligence happens over time, which means God will place us in times of waiting. He does this because he loves us and wants to give us amazing gifts. This thinking anchors our hearts and gives us more hope, helping us to trust that God works all things together for our good if we love him and follow his purpose, even when we don’t see immediate results (Romans 8:28).
Third, we can now trust his timing. Throughout Scripture, we see examples of God fulfilling his promises to his people, often taking decades to do so. No one likes this, yet Abraham, David, Hannah, Jacob, Joseph, and even Jesus would tell us the wait is worth it. We can draw strength from these examples, knowing God is faithful to fulfill what he promised and care for us in the meantime. Our hope must be rooted in God’s goodness and love.
Fourth, actively waiting includes remaining obedient and serving faithfully where we are. Deferred hope can tempt us to focus only on the future and neglect our present responsibilities, but God calls us to be faithful in the “now” season. Colossians 3:23 says, “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters.” God gave Joseph a dream that he would one day rule and reign over his own family, yet soon, he became a slave in Egypt and was then placed in jail. He still stayed faithful to God, serving within those oppressive circumstances. God rewarded him and fulfilled his dream.
Serving where we are while trusting in the future demonstrates our commitment to God's will and timing. Obedience shows we trust God to move when the time is right. As we see with Joseph, God often teaches us what we need to know when the promise is fulfilled.
Finally, along with believing in his goodness, we must be sure God genuinely desires to give us the longing of our hearts and the “tree of life.” When we delight in God and participate in his will, we can trust he will bring about fulfillment. Believe God wants to bless us and give us good gifts like a good Father. This helps us endure the waiting period with hope and confidence.
Peace.
Further Reading
Hope Deferred and Hope Fulfilled
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