Post #44 -- The Gift of Hope

As I sit down to draft this post, trusting God for inspiration on what to write, I sense the Lord saying, "Don, write from your heart, not your head."

That was a new one for me and I’m still not exactly sure what God means by all that.  But I believe He is telling me to simply write about something I’m feeling in my heart as I travel this pathway from surviving to thriving—though I do sense Him cautioning me against my usual (engineering-like) lists of bulleted ideas and Scripture verses.  

After pondering this thought for a bit, the word “Hope” clearly came to mind. 

So the purpose of this post is simply to share how Hope resonates in my heart and to describe how it gives me the confidence to keep going and even put a bounce into my steps.  Well, that last statement is a bit rhetorical in that I take fewer steps these days, but you know what I mean.  This simply encourages and excites me to trust Jesus even more. 

WHAT IS HOPE?

Some people might knock on wood or cross their fingers and “hope” that life would spin in their favor.  To them, the strength of their “hope” seems to be based primarily on the strength of their desire.

But that’s not what I’m talking about here. Hope isn’t something we muster up from within and it’s not based primarily on the strength of our desire.  To us as followers of Jesus, our Hope is a bold, confident expectation that God will do what He has promised and strength of this Hope is based solely in His demonstrated faithfulness.  As the writer of Lamentations 3:22-23 (NIV) tells us, "Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope: Because of the Lord's great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.”

I truly believe that “Hope” is a gift from God and I am eternally grateful for it!

BECAUSE OF HOPE

As I meditate on “Hope,” here’s what I sense in my heart.

Because of Hope … my heart is at rest knowing that God loves me, cares for me, and has promised to sustain and carry me.  What an encouragement this has been to me, knowing that when I really need it, God is promising to keep me going and even carry me.  God through Isaiah says, “Even to our old age and gray hairs I am He.  I am He who will sustain you.  I have made you and I will carry you;  I will sustain you and I will rescue you”  (Isaiah 46:4 NIV).  I distinctly experienced this in a profound way during the aftermath of our grandson’s untimely death less than a year ago, during times when I felt the burden was more that I could carry and I could not go one step further.  It was not until after the fact that I realized He was clearly carrying me all throughout this crisis.  And my heart is at rest with the awareness that He is continuing to sustain and carry me!

Because of Hope … my heart is warmed and boldly confident in the assurance that He will be my strong and trustworthy anchor.  During current times when so many issues seem to be demanding our response and attention, we can enjoy this Hope as a strong and trustworthy anchor for our soul: “Therefore, we who have fled to Him for refuge can have great confidence as we hold to the hope that lies before us.  This hope is a strong and trustworthy anchor for our souls”  (Hebrews 18b-19 NIV).  We do not need to flounder aimlessly through life.  We have a strong anchor to hold us when the winds and waves are beating heavily upon us.  What a privilege we have!

Because of Hope … my heart rests assured that He will never leave me.  My heart is warmed by the assurance that He promises to always be by my side: “For He Himself has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you” (Hebrews 13:5 NKJV). Hope allows no room for fear.  I am never alone!  My Father, in the person of the Holy Spirit, is with me whatever I do, wherever I go.  It’s hard to fathom that—but praise God, that’s what He’s like!  

Because of Hope … my heart senses a feeling of peace as I realize that He has everything under control and that His plan for me is perfect.  What an assurance this is as we try to make sense out of much in our world today that simply does not make sense!  “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future” (Jeremiah 29:11 NIV).  Here God was revealing His plan to give us this hope forever—not only for deliverance from Old Testament trials or enemies, but for a new life right now beyond our wildest imaginations.

Because of Hope … my heart is comforted as I eagerly anticipate a promised home in heaven.  The older I get, the more real this possibility shines on the horizon. "But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body”  (Philippians 3:20-21 NIV).  What a promise!

Because of Hope … my heart rests secure in the knowledge that He promises to be my refuge at all times, regardless of circumstances.  I’ve written about this many times, but this fact still remains fresh to me.  "Yes, my soul, find rest in God; my hope comes from him. Truly he is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will not be shaken”  (Psalm 62:5-6 NIV).  

Because of Hope … my heart delights knowing that when all else fails, the Holy Spirit will do for me what I cannot do.  How comforting it is to know that when I can not pray, He is praying for me and I can not worship, He is worshipping for me—and that it’s by His power that I can overflow with Hope.  ”May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit”  (Romans 15:13 NIV).

I quickly resonate with King David’s response to the Lord as recorded in The Passion Translation: “And now, God, I’m left with one conclusion: my only hope is to hope in you alone” (Psalms 39:7 TPT). 

IS HOPE A GIFT FROM GOD AND HOW DOES IT HELP ME THRIVE?

The wonderful result of Hope is delivered by the power of the Holy Spirit of God.  As a demonstration of God’s love for us, He gives this Hope.  Hope given by Him works together with us to give us confidence, joy, peace, power, and love. I believe this is indeed a gift from God.  We do not conjure it up from within.  We do not work at trying to get it.  It is a true gift given to us who believe in Jesus Christ for our salvation— something for which each of us can deeply praise the Lord.

How does having this Hope help us thrive?  Because of this Hope given to us by God, each of us as followers of Jesus, can enjoy life right now to the fullest extent possible, regardless of circumstances.  “I have come that they [His sheep] might have life, and that they may have it more abundantly” (John 10:10 NKJV).  That certainly helps us walk with a bounce in every step.  But, as great as all that is here and now, we also have the awesome anticipation of enjoying life with Him and our friends forever in heaven.  That indeed is cause for thriving!

This a Hope that makes life worth living!

 

Book Update

The new book, A Journey from Surviving to Thriving—Experiencing the Fulfilled Life in the Midst of Chaos, is now available on Amazon. If interested, you’ll find a color edition by clicking on Don Graybill, then click on the book.  For a black and white version of this same book, click on “See all formats and editions” under the color book title.  Thanks for praying with us to bring these books into print for the glory of God!