HOPE

This is a picture of the tunnel at the Forestry Farm. But this was not what I saw. I saw a light. A bright and shinning light at the end of a tunnel. I saw hope.

Hope is something that I've been learning about. The bible says in Romans 5:5 that hope does not disppoint us. Never. Hope will never fail us, let us down, neglect, be inefficient or unsuccessful. Now, this is a promise that I can easily stand on.

But, how do we achive a state of hope? I think we all know it takes a little more than will-power. In the very same passage that we find this wonderful promise it first states that we must "rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering develops perseverance, perseverance character, and charater hope." There is an order here, the first is to rejoice in sufferings, only then will we begin to develop perseverance, and only then will we develop our character, and only then, will we be able to add, hope.
Isaiah 40:31 says that "those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength, they will soar on wings like eagles, they will run and not grow weary, walk and not grow faint."
This doesn't say, 'Everyone' will renew their strength. It doesn't say 'Anyone and everyone' will soar like eagles. It says, Those who put their hope in the Lord. The word "put" is an action word. It means to place, to assign and to apply. It's a verb, which means it actually requires us to do something. To hope is to choose to rejoice in the sufferings of Christ, because He loved us first!
"But hope that is seen is not 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." (Ro 8:24)
Hope does not disppoint us! Our hope comes from HIM! If we can walk in obedience to the almighty, and embrace in His sufferings, then we can truly say and believe, that there is always a light at the end of the tunnel.
Father you are the giver of hope. You are the perfector of our faith. May we lay down our own strength, our feeble knees and weak arms.... It is only by your grace that we can become mighty warriors, warriors who fight for hope. I pray Lord that you would pour out your hope on us, that we could walk out in the sufferings that we are all facing God, that we could embrace them with rejoicing, knowing that you are our hope. And you will never leave us or forsake us, you will never fail us or disappoint us. Thank you Jesus for who you are, and may we continue to gain understanding of how to be more like you.