HOPE
Proverbs 13:12 New American Standard Bible (NASB)
Hope deferred makes the heart sick, But desire fulfilled is a tree of life.
This has certainly been a constant truth during most of my life. It has seemed to me that other things were always expected of me, so I had to put my desires on hold. I was expected to defer to the desires of those in authority over me. After many years of hoping to be able to open my own business in a building where I could meet my customers in person, I found what I believed was a most suitable location. Yet it was once again jerked away from me by someone else’s decision which I am obligated to defer to. And my blood pressure soared out of control.
I began to complain to my Heavenly Father using the above scripture. “Daddy, you know your word says, Hope deferred makes the heart sick, But desire fulfilled is a tree of life. Please, please, please give me the money to be able to fulfill this dream, so I don’t have to depend on man.” I cried.
You know what he said? He said, “Yes this is true, so change what you hope in. Hope in something that you already have and then your hope will no longer be deferred.”
It was then that the Holy Spirit brought to my remembrance a few other scriptures.
Psalm 38:15
For I hope in You, O Lord; You will answer, O Lord my God.
Psalm 39:7
“And now, Lord, for what do I wait? My hope is in You.
Psalm 130:5
I wait for the Lord, my soul does wait, And in His word do I hope.
Psalm 146:5
How blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob, Whose hope is in the Lord his God,
What was my Heavenly Father saying then? Hope in the Lord, because that hope is sure and NOW. He will not fail us. However, when we focus on the other things, even if they are good things that the Lord wants us to have, we get off track.
1 Corinthians 13:8 tells us that love never fails. 1 John 4:8 tells us that God is Love. This means that God will never fail us.
What this all means is that if you feel that your hope has been deferred, I want to challenge you during the coming year to put your hope in the Lord and trust in His unfailing love. Trust Him with your life and believe that He is watching over you and guiding your footsteps. Maybe we will find a quicker path to the fulfillment of our dreams in doing this instead of striving after what we want. Our Heavenly Father does want to give us the desires of our hearts, but only in the right way and at the right time when we are ready to handle the blessings. He does not want to set us up for failure.
We read in…
1 Thessalonians 1:2-4 New American Standard Bible (NASB)
2 We give thanks to God always for all of you, making mention of you in our prayers; 3 constantly bearing in mind your work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ in the presence of our God and Father, 4 knowing, brethren beloved by God, His choice of you;
He chose you and he chose me. Let us give thanks to God for each other and bear in mind the works of faith and labors of love those around us are doing remembering that He also chose those in authority over us. I know this may not be an easy task, but I am convinced it is a worthwhile endeavor. I also believe wholeheartedly in the following scripture.
Romans 8:38-39 New American Standard Bible (NASB)
38 For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Let me close with…
Romans 15:13 New American Standard Bible (NASB)
13 Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you will abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
May you walk in the Hope and love of The Father, Son and Holy Spirit this coming year beloved.
Love and blessings,
Miri Gyrfalcon