Hope

My light at the end of my tunnel, is getting brighter and brighter as I read more and more in His word about the hope found only in my heavenly Father. God has been leading me to endless scriptures that speak of an indescribable hope, something our world is far too busy worrying and freting to have.

The Bible says in Ps. 25:3 that those who hope will never be put to shame, Lam. 3:21 says that we can hope in His great love and that His compassions never fail, Pr. 23:18 says that our hope will never be cut off, and Rom. 5:4 says that hope will never disappoint us.

We are blessed (Ps. 146:5), we find rest and confidence (Ps. 62:5-6), we find patience (Ps. 130:5), we find strength and endurance (Isa. 40:31), we find encouragement (Ro. 15:4) and our longings are fulfilled (Pr. 13:12) when we hope in the Lord our God.

God puts much emphasis on the fact that we find this hope when we read His word. Ps.130:5 talks about waiting in His word. Ro.15:4 talks about finding our encouragement and endurance in the scriptures, and Ps.119:74 talks about ministering and witnessing to others when we hope in His word.

"But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what he already has? But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently." Romans 8:24
It's funny how I ask God to clearly show me the answers, or remove the obstacles in my way, so that I can know what it is I'm hoping for. When all the while those questions and obstacles are there so that I can find hope. I'm always trying to find out whats on the other side of that door, or whats around that bend, but in not knowing and not seeing, I am able to find hope and wait patiently. God is always calling us to exercise our faith muscles. If He didn't, we wouldn't grow any stronger, in fact, our muscles would actually get weaker and smaller, and we'd find ourselves asking "why am I finding this whole Christian walk so darn hard??" (Ever asked this one before?).

I for one am sick of turning to the things of this world to put my hope in. I'm so tired of worrying and freting over the what ifs and the what abouts. If this is how I walk then why would I bother following a God who promises all the things He speaks of in His word? I'm finished resembling just another someone of this world, who has no hope, who hopes in herself. Pr. 13:12 says that hope deferred makes the heart sick. Deferred means shelved, put off, postponed or set aside. I've found my heart sick far too often, and am picking up that hope that has been set on the shelf for far too long.

My soul will find rest in God alone, I will hope in Him, for He alone is my rock and my salvation, He is my fortress, and I will not be shaken. (Ps. 62:5)
My fears and questions have been laid at the foot of His cross, it doesn't matter to me what's on the other side of that door, I know where my hope lies.

~Peace~