Biblical hope is not wishful like hoping to win the lottery.  It is not human optimism.  It is not self-reliance.

Biblical hope is based on the person and character of God; it is based on who He is and what He has done.

Our world needs hope; we need hope.  So Paul urges us to pray that the God of hope would fill us with all joy and peace in believing so that by the power of the Holy Spirit we may abound in hope.