Hope Deferred
Hope deferred makes the heart sick; but when dreams come true at last, there is life and joy. (Prov 13:12 TLB)
I have recently found myself thinking about the meaning of this scripture. “Hope deferred” what does that mean exactly? In The American Heritage Dictionary hope has been defined theologically as the desire and search for a future good, difficult but not impossible to attain with God’s help. Deferred means delayed, so what causes us to have delayed hope?
As Christians, we are not without hope, yet our lives are often lived as if we are hopeless. Since we can safely put our hope and faith in the Lord and His promises, delayed hope can certainly be a strategy of the enemy. For many years I have refused to allow myself to dream, giving this scripture special meaning for me. I have wasted many years of my life pushing down the desire to write, believing that to pursue a dream would be to waste my time and attention on foolish things and distract me from dealing with the realities of my life. My God is not restricted by my realities, yet I failed for many years to even consider it.
This blog is a dream come true. I have written more in the past six months than I have written in most of my adult life, and I can honestly say that I have found life and joy in pursuing this dream. I was slow to permit myself to dream, but I am no longer bound by that particular stronghold. Rainbows (promises) and Mustard Seeds (faith) represents my faith in His promises and my resolve to pursue them for the rest of my life.
I encourage you to search your heart and give yourself permission to dream. Seek God’s will for the direction of your dreams. Don’t delay the life and joy that comes from placing your dreams in the hope of the Lord. Be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart, all you that hope in the Lord! (Ps 31:24)
Heavenly Father, uphold me according to thy word, that I may live; and let me not be ashamed of my hope, for you have said, blessed is the man that trusteth in the Lord, and whose hope the Lord is. Amen (Ps 119:15; Jer 17:7)
I have recently found myself thinking about the meaning of this scripture. “Hope deferred” what does that mean exactly? In The American Heritage Dictionary hope has been defined theologically as the desire and search for a future good, difficult but not impossible to attain with God’s help. Deferred means delayed, so what causes us to have delayed hope?
As Christians, we are not without hope, yet our lives are often lived as if we are hopeless. Since we can safely put our hope and faith in the Lord and His promises, delayed hope can certainly be a strategy of the enemy. For many years I have refused to allow myself to dream, giving this scripture special meaning for me. I have wasted many years of my life pushing down the desire to write, believing that to pursue a dream would be to waste my time and attention on foolish things and distract me from dealing with the realities of my life. My God is not restricted by my realities, yet I failed for many years to even consider it.
This blog is a dream come true. I have written more in the past six months than I have written in most of my adult life, and I can honestly say that I have found life and joy in pursuing this dream. I was slow to permit myself to dream, but I am no longer bound by that particular stronghold. Rainbows (promises) and Mustard Seeds (faith) represents my faith in His promises and my resolve to pursue them for the rest of my life.
I encourage you to search your heart and give yourself permission to dream. Seek God’s will for the direction of your dreams. Don’t delay the life and joy that comes from placing your dreams in the hope of the Lord. Be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart, all you that hope in the Lord! (Ps 31:24)
Heavenly Father, uphold me according to thy word, that I may live; and let me not be ashamed of my hope, for you have said, blessed is the man that trusteth in the Lord, and whose hope the Lord is. Amen (Ps 119:15; Jer 17:7)
Comments
Lynn
I wrote about "Guaranteed Hope" on one of my blogs on Wednesday. I know that sounds like an oxymoron, but with Christ as our anchor, our hope is secure.
Blessings,
Joy