Its crazy to me how life has a funny way of reminding us of everything wrong going on around us during the moments we need hope the most. In the moments we are looking for answers and hope, all we seem to find is more questions and discouragement. I remember when I was young setting on the front porch of my Grandmother’s house listening as she described what it was like growing up in a small town, and all the struggles of growing up with little, yet not once did she say she wished her life would have been different. I learned a very important lesson from my grandma that day. It’s not about what you have and what you don’t have, how you live your life is what really matters. How we live our lives all revolves around what we believe.
Before we get too deep into this subject, I want to pose a question; where do you place your hope? Do you place it in your family, friends, leaders, or do you place it in the capable hands of our heavenly father? As you continue to read, I pray you’ll think about this question. Psalms 71:14 reminds us where are hope should be placed, “As for me, I will always have hope; I will praise you more and more.” Hope is such a precious gift; it is important to know what we hope in and why we hope in it. If you look up the definition of hope it says: to cherish a desire with anticipation: to want something to happen or be true (Merriam-Webster).
I think more often then not we look for places and things to place our hope and faith in, whether those areas are the appropriate places to place our hope or not remains in question. That thing that we think will never change or go away, however, earthly possessions never last, they fade with time just as quickly as the changes of the wind. Just when we think we have found the right thing to hope in our hope is ripped away as if it never existed. That’s the funny thing about hope though, it requires us to place faith in the hands of the unknown. I love what the book of Isaiah tells us,
"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.” - Isaiah 40:31
I whole heartedly believe that it is only when we place our hope solely in the care of Christ that we will see change within our own lives and our communities. So here's the thing about hope, when you place your hope in the right thing or in this case person everything changes. Think of hope like an anchor on a ship, if you throw the anchor out into a bottomless ocean it will never catch and hold firm. However, if you throw out the anchor and it finds and grabs hold of the firm bedrock it will be firmly grounded against the onslaught of crashing waves. Our hope and faith can be seen the same way. When you place your hope completely in Christ no matter what gets thrown your way you will stay anchored to the rock that cannot be shaken.
I love what Psalm 94:14 reminds us,
"The Lord will not reject his people: he will not abandon his special possession.”
This is a beautiful reminder that God will never abandon or forsake us. We are His special possession, His sons and daughters. What a beautiful picture! It is so important to remember that no matter the enemy throws your way, our God is greater than it all. If there’s nothing God can’t do then we have nothing to fear, we can wholeheartedly place our hope in the unchanging power of our God.
I vividly remember the first time I flew on an airplane; I was in awe of how it all worked. The fact that I was placing faith and hope in the pilot to get us safely to our destination, not thinking about everything that went into making the flight safe and comfortable for all the passengers. The pilot trusts that the plane will do what it was made to do just as the passengers trust the pilots to do what they were trained to do. When we place our hope in God only we are trusting that He will do what He promised He would do so long ago.
Recently I was reminded of the importance of spending time in the Bible and in the unmatched presence of our creator. I had just sat down to do some writing, but I didn’t really have anything to say. I knew I needed to write something, but the words just weren’t there, and I got frustrated. I was just about to close my computer and given up for the day when I felt the Holy Spirit nudge my heart, it was like God was saying ‘yep you do that to me too’. Which got me thinking about all the times in my life I’ve pushed aside spending time with God thinking up excuse after excuse for why I’m to busy to spend even five minutes reading my Bible or seeking out His presence. I don’t know about you, but man did that hit me hard.
It felt like a gut punch, that little reminder that I had been letting my flesh come up with so many excuses to keep me from spending time in the Word and the unrivaled presence of our Creator. I was reminded of the words of the prophet Isaiah.
"But now, this is what the Lord, your Creator says, O Jacob, and He who formed you, O Israel, ‘Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name; you are Mine." - Isaiah 43:1
It doesn't matter what you have been walking through, the mistakes of your past, or even what happened yesterday. God sees it all and He still calls you His own! Remember you are so loved and you have a future brighter than a million stars.
I believe in each of you and I'm always in your corner!
Much Love friends,
Alianna
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