Romans 15:13 May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.
Waiting seems to be a constant in life. We are always waiting on something or someone. Whether it’s waiting for our next appointment, for a meeting to conclude, or for our children or spouse to be ready to go somewhere – waiting is the one thing that we are always doing. However, we are always hoping as well. Hoping that the next appointment will go well. Hoping that the meeting will have a favorable outcome. Hoping our family members will be ready on time.
Most people don’t consider this “hope” in the same way, since when we are hoping for these things, it’s almost a part of who we are. It is a like a second thought – a sub-conscious thing. Instead of using the word “hope”, we use the word “maybe”. Maybe this time will be better. Maybe it will work out the way I would like it to happen. We have made these words interchangeable without realizing it.
It is in this interchange that we find that hope isn’t dead. Even if it has been transformed into a word we would rather use. Perhaps it is more grammatically correct. Yet, that one spark of hope in our lives is all we really need. When the darkest hours are on us. When we feel that everything is lost, we still have the ability to hope. Our minds keep it alive by using maybe, someday, possibly, perhaps. These are all words that give us hope. They allow us to move forward when we are struggling and even without realizing it we have given ourselves permission to hope.
Hope is something we all need. It is the small bud that will bloom into a beautiful flower. It is the small spark that will give life to a fire. It is the reason we try when we fall down. We teach it to our children – try, try again. That is hope. When they flounder while learning to tie their shoes, swim or ride a bike. We know that it can be done. They hope that they will learn to do it. They catch on to our belief in their ability to do something new, and let it pull them along. This is is the gift we give and pass along. We may label it differently; but underneath all the cosmetic changes, hope prevails.
As Believers, we know that our spiritual life is filled with hope. Much like a child, our hope resides in our Heavenly Father. We have hope because He has shown it to us. He has given us examples to follow. We may flounder but our hope is in Him. The strength of our hope is that He is the God of hope who fills us with joy and peace. Even better, He teaches us to hope, like our earthly parents teach us how to make our beds, to say our prayers, to be kind toward others. God is our loving Father who wants us to carry hope in our hearts and minds, so it is second nature to us. We don’t need to concentrate to be able to do it. We just do it. We have it. We keep it. We share it.
During those times in our lives when we feel as if there is no hope, we need to remind ourselves of the other times we were learning. That hope isn’t just taught by one word descriptions. That even when we have been reduced to feel like nothing matters, hope is alive and well. It may just be a spark waiting to catch fire. Just like creating that spark, it might take us a few tries to latch on to it, but once we do, hope will just grow strong and brighter. We can allow it to carry us forward on its momentum until we catch on and carry it with ours.
Psalm 39:7 And now, O Lord, for what do I wait? My hope is in you.
Let hope bloom eternal in your life. Whether it is that small spark or that blazing bonfire. Let it have a part of your life. Recognize it for what it is and allow it to be a part of you. Don’t shut out the potential that you have because of life’s circumstances. Seek the God of hope and let the Holy Spirit fill up your reserves. We are told to meditate in Him day and night. That doesn’t mean it is a 24 hour study session. It means that we need to allow His word to fill our lives, let it become second nature in our thoughts and actions. Sure, we will stray from the path from time to time. Yet, our ever-loving, patient, merciful Father is always standing on the path with His hand held out waiting for us to take it and return.
There will be times that the journey isn’t easy. The road less traveled is fraught with difficulty. BECAUSE it is the road less traveled. We don’t need to do everything the way the world would have us do it. We don’t need to hide and cower in fear. For our God is strong and mighty. He is a storm in the shelter. He not only gives us hope, He will fill us up with it, giving us strength and building our faith. We are not promised an easy journey. We aren’t even promised tomorrow. So, we need to make the best of today. Keep hope alive within us. Keep our eyes focused not on this world but on our King.
Seek FIRST the Kingdom of God. Stop looking for the hope of man. Stop looking for the easy way. Stop hiding who you are in the shadows out of fear and/or shame. Let God’s light shine through you and for you. Let Him guide you on your path. Let His word be a lamp for your feet and a light for your path. Sometimes, we only get to see the next step, not the one after that or the one after that. We need to learn to build our hope so that each step we take is guided by Him. We need to trust Him. More so now than ever. In this world, we need to build our faith and hope in our eternal Savior.
Prayer:
God, our Father, our Eternal Creator, help us to build our hope and strength in You. Remind us that we don’t need to look at the world for our guiding light, but rather, we need to turn our hearts and minds to you. Help us to be a light and more importantly, to follow Your light and guidance as we walk the path where You lead us. Remind us that not everything comes easy but it is worth the journey to draw closer to You.
Lord, we thank you for your mercy and grace in our lives. We thank you for all that You do to cover us under Your wings when the storms of life get rough. We thank You that we can draw close to You and find shelter. We thank You that during these times we are being given a safe place to rest and restore so that we can move forward in our lives with not just more strength, but more hope and inner peace.
Thank You for being our guiding light. Thank You for the sacrifice that you gave in Your Son. Thank You for showing us Your way. Leading us, guiding us, setting examples, helping us to walk in Your ways.
In Jesus Name we pray,
Amen.