“Sanguine hopes” are as unhelpful as “foreboding fears”

“Lord, my times are in Thy hand; All my sanguine hopes have planned. To Thy wisdom I resign, And would make Thy purpose mine. (Josiah Conder 1836)
“Sanguine hopes,” those cheerful, wishful things that we look forward to, are just the opposite of the “foreboding fears” in Conder’s previous stanza. … The problem with “sanguine hopes” is that they not only focus our attention on the desirable things we want to have happen but also on the things we wish we could return to…. That’s why the daily “manna” that Moses promised the Israelites had to have been more than just the expectation of something to eat. They were also learning to trust, to abandon control and allow God to hold their future. … The kind of hope that comes with this surrender is indeed anchored in the eternal. And yet it must begin right here and right now. It must be practiced and nourished day by day in moments of humility and yielding. How effortless and sustaining faith can be when we finally let go and say, “Lord, my times are in Thy hand.” I love those words! (Living Calm ©️ 2016)