Hope Is Found
I love the word hope.
It has sustained me in times of fear and uncertainty and encouraged me to look for the light in the darkness, even if I had to squint my already squinty eyes to find it.
Hope is optimistic faith that everything is going to work out.
It would be nice if we just left it right there.
But, most of the time, we don't.
Maybe it's just me, but I like to take things a few 100 steps further.
I start with hope, praying prayers of praise to God, telling Him how much I love and trust Him.
I go through the list of how He rescued me, solved my problems, or found a better way than I could have ever found myself.
Once I'm done praying those beautiful sentiments, I begin my "hopeful" instructions.
"Okay, God, here's what I'm requesting. I would like you to give me this, fix this, heal them, resolve that, and make that go away. Here are my demands (insert a very detailed list). I really hope (said with the tiniest bit of passive-aggression) you can make that happen. If you could, that would be great."
I've always wanted to follow up my verbal instructions (I mean hopeful prayers) in writing, as I do at work, to ensure my requests are understood.
I have been looking for God's email address to send follow-ups to, but I haven't been able to locate it yet. If you happen to have it, please send it my way.
When things don't go exactly as I requested, I shake my fist at God, wishing I could put Him on a performance plan so He could start doing things the way I want Him to.
I don't think that's how this hope thing is supposed to work.
Hope is not a demand. Hope is a desire for something, an expectation bolstered with faith and trust.
That means we must leave the how, when, what, and even why up to God.
Letting that responsibility go is not easy for us can-do, problem-solving, controlling types.
It's hard to let things go when things aren’t going the way think they should.
It’s hard to unclench our controlling fists and let God handle things.
But that clenching causes carpel tunnel and a wide array of other issues. There must be another way.
When we release control and fill our hearts and minds with hope, we can trust that God will work it out in His way.
Peace and calm are available for us, even when the storms rage, and the answers are either unknown or not what we want to hear.
Even when we are freaking out and things aren't working out the way we want them to, we can trust that God has a plan and that He is sticking right by us no matter what.
Even in the seasons of long-suffering, we can hope that someday everything will work out and we will be okay.
Even if bad things happen or disappointments come, we can know that God will be with us to strengthen us so we can press on and keep going.
Don't you lose hope, my friend. Squint those beautiful eyes and search for the light.
Remember all the times God rescued you, solved your problems and found a better way than you could have ever found yourself.
Let those memories remind you that hope is found in faith, in trusting that God will provide a way through, no matter what.
God has found you, and He is never, EVER going to let you go.
Psalm 24:14
Know also that wisdom is like honey for you: If you find it, there is a future hope for you, and your hope will not be cut off.
Lamentations 3: 25-26
The Lord is good to those whose hope is in him, to the one who seeks him; it is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord.
Hebrews 10:23
Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful.
Acts 2: 26-28
Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my body also will rest in hope, because you will not abandon me to the realm of the dead, you will not let your holy one see decay. You have made known to me the paths of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence.