HOPE – Meaning – The feeling of expectation and desire for a particular thing to happen.

We are faced with a lot of pressure and uncertainties in this time we are in. We find ourselves in a space where all seems lost. We had plans for this year, plans like – I want to get married; I will be leaving to study abroad; I have a business to start and there are promises that God gave us and has not yet been fulfilled. We ask ourselves if this will still come to pass, will I still be able to accomplish this? The problem is that we find ourselves looking more and more at how impossible things look. We look at what we see and not at what Heaven sees. By entertaining these thoughts of loss and not seeing an outcome, we open ourselves up to hopelessness.

Proverbs 13:12 says: ”Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life.”

You will agree with me if I say that many of us are experiencing hope being deferred in these days. Hope deferred means hope that is delayed. Many things are being delayed in our lives now and we can’t do anything about it. So, what do we do now? Do we throw the towel in or do we run to the One who holds the stars?

A while ago I asked the Lord why it is so easy for us to lose hope so quickly? Why do we doubt Him; and His ability to care for us and bring to pass that which He has promised? His answer, John8:19, Then the Pharisees said to Him, “Where is this Father of Yours?” Jesus answered, “You know neither Me nor My Father; if you know Me, you would know My Father also.” Yup, this is it! If we know Him, we will know that His love for us will never fail! He will never leave or forsake us, He will never bring you this far to drop you. He is the Way Maker (didn’t He make the way for the Israelites through the red sea? Absolutely impossible when we look with our natural eyes), Miracle worker (Raising Lazarus from the dead – How even?), Promise keeper (He provided Abraham with a ram to slaughter instead of killing Isaac. I don’t think Abraham would ever have thought that God would let a ram get stuck in a bush to save Isaac). There are many more examples to fall back on. We cannot fathom how God does things because His ways are higher than our ways. What we need to know is that GOD IS GOOD and GOD IS LOVE and He does not change. The world might change but He stays the same and His word will not return void. He will accomplish which He has started.

THE QUESTION IS – Do we really know Him?If we do, will we then believe that all is lost and there is no way out?

Philippians 3:10 (Amplified)[For my determined purpose is] that I may know Him [that I may progressively become more deeply and intimately acquainted with Him, perceiving and recognizing and understanding the wonders of His Person more strongly and more clearly], and that I may in that same way come to know the power outflowing from His resurrection [^[a]which it exerts over believers], and that I may so share His sufferings as to be continually transformed [in spirit into His likeness even] to His death, [in the hope]

Prayer – Father I come before you and I bring my heart that is full of turmoil and doubt. I repent for allowing hopelessness to overwhelm me. I repent that I have lost sight of who You really are. I repent that I do not know you. Please forgive me. I lay all my worries and fears before you today and I choose to put my trust and hope in You. I choose to not lean on my own understanding and what the world is feeding me. You are my Provider, You are the Way Maker, You are the Miracle worker and the Promise keeper. This is truth and I choose to believe it! Father I pray that my spirit, soul, and body will respond to Ephesians 3:10, that I will become more intimately acquainted with You. That when I seek You, I will find You. I thank You for Your sacrifice on the cross and for loving me. Let Your kingdom come, and Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven, in Jesus name. Amen