HOPE
Lately, I’ve realized how much I need to put on the brakes in my life. I’ve literally been going non-stop since October and it’s been a whirlwind!
I just got back from a week of vacation and I must say it was so good for my soul! Some of my go-go-ness has actually been vacations, but this one came at just the right time with just the right person!. It's smack dab in the middle of the chaos, right before it gets even crazier!
I have 4 months left in Thailand...4 months! In 2 months my best friend is getting married and then 2 months later I’ll be figuring out how to get insurance and how life in the states works as a adult again!
A lot is happening and sometimes it’s hard to take it all in, but one thing has been constant on my mind and it’s this word HOPE. (I actually got this word tattooed on my arm in thai!) It’s my word right now and I feel like it’s a word for you too if you’re anything like me and feel like you are juggling a few too many tasks at work or a crazy schedule or just have a lot on your mind, this hope is something steady that has been grounding me!
There are a lot of ways to define hope but the definition that has stuck with me is this:
Hope: a strong and confident expectation.
Now, there are a lot of things you can put your hope in, but I’m not talking about the hope you have that that cute guy you saw at the hip coffee shop asks you out, or the hope that you get that dream job...
I’m talking about putting your hope in the promises of God, the only thing that stands!
As I’ve pondered this type of hope, I keep coming back to the same question...What are some things the Lord promises that I can put my hope in? There are a lot but here are the ones I’ve been lingering over:
He promises to be our help and strength:
-Isaiah 40:31: "but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint."
When life seems like it’s too much we can rest in knowing we have strength to over come with the power of the Holy Spirit.
He promises to forgive us:
-1 John 1:9: "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness."
When we screw up, wander, or just ignore him he isn’t going to hold it over us, he forgives us!
He promises to answer our prayers:
-Mark 11:24: "Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours."
Maybe not always as we expect, or in our timing but he’s at work and he’s listening and the fruit of our prayers is coming!
He promises to never leave you:
-Deut 31:8: "The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.”
-Joshua 1:9- "Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”
When you feel alone and lost and afraid, he is right there with you. He will never walk away from you even if you’ve wandered away from him. When you go back to him he’s still there!
He promises to give good gifts:
-Matthew 7:9-11: "“Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone? 10 Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!"
Those things you feel like are too good to be true, that they are doomed...the hard and the good are all gifts from the Lord and he is not going to withhold the good things from you!
Life seems to want to throw me all the curve balls, lay the unexpected in my lap and push me towards trusting in myself and the lies but one thing is for sure, when I find myself teetering on the edge, I look down at my arm and I remember hope. I remember His promises to me and I remember that it’s all going to be ok because my hope is found in Him alone. I can have a confidence in Him and expect Him to follow through with his promises, because that's just who He is!
“ For in hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope, because who hopes for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we eagerly wait for it with endurance.”
