Hope. Earnest expectation of good. That definition is so encouraging. I believe in always having hope in Him. I have written a lot about having hope – not being hopeless and I still stand on the truth of always having hope.
BUT – what if what you hoped for with everything in you didn’t happen as you had believed? That’s the place I am in now. I know the Lord gave me a promise about Caleb. I know with all my heart He told me Caleb would come through the mess and be healed. He told me Caleb would someday minister to others who are struggling. I know that I know that the enemy cannot touch my family – my grandchildren – my children because they are my inheritance and protected by the blood of Jesus. So, what happened? All I can hear the Lord telling me right now is that Caleb made some decisions that took him out of God’s protection. The Lord is with us always and was with Caleb but he wasn’t listening.
This has been a very hard week. Each day the reality of Caleb’s death becomes more real. It isn’t a dream. I am awake and this is real. I let myself get sick over the whole thing and had a few rough days this week. I know I am healing but I know I will never forget about this loss. I am praying for our son and family that they have begun to heal but they will always have a place in their hearts for Caleb. The pain of losing their son or brother will be there until they are reunited. In the Lord and with time the loss will become less painful.
I don’t have any answers to the questions we have when something you hoped for doesn’t happen. When the child you believed with all your heart you would have never came. When you desired a spouse and it just didn’t work out as you had hoped. There are times we believe for healing for ourselves or someone else and we don’t see it happen as we believed. But one thing I know beyond a shadow of a doubt is that His Word and His love is truth! We don’t see everything that is happening in the Spiritual, we only see what we see.
“Since we consider and look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen: for the things that are visible are temporal, brief and fleeting. But the things that are invisible are deathless and everlasting.”
2 Corinthians 4:17
I know we all have been to this place in one way or another. When I was growing up, I didn’t hope because I didn’t want to get my hopes up and be let down and disappointed. As I learned more about the Lord’s love and Word, I decided that I would rather hope with everything I have inside me and possibly lose than to never hope at all. So even though losing Caleb is one of the hardest heartaches I have had to deal with in my life and I know I had a promise from the Lord – I will continue to stand firm on His promises and Word. I’m going to share some verses and prayers the Lord gave for such a time as this. You can pray and declare these short prayers everything time your hope starts to become deferred. I pray these words encourage you.
“Good morning, Lord! I love to come into Your presence and soak in Your goodness and love. I am so thankful that I can have this close and intimate relationship with You. “Wait and hope for and expect the Lord; be brave and of good courage and let you heart be stout and enduring. Yes, wait for and hope for and expect the Lord.” Psalm27:14 I choose today to wait and hope for and expect You. You are faithful to Your Word and I delight in Your promises. I speak courage and endurance in every area of my life where doubt and unbelief has crept in. I tell fear that it has no authority or place in my heart or my life. No matter what I see before me today doesn’t mean that what You promised isn’t real. I trust You and I am thankful for Your life and Your hope. I praise You always. Amen
“This is the day that You have made. May I stand on Your Word continuously and know Your truths. “But those who wait for the Lord - who expect, look for and hope in Him - shall renew their strength and power. They shall mount up on wings as eagles. They shall run and not grow weary; they shall walk and not faint or become tired.” Isaiah 40:31 Lord, today I expect, look for and hope in You. I know my strength and power are renewed as I hope and trust in You. I will run and not grow weary, I will walk and not faint or become tired because I put my hope in You and know You love me and gave Your life so that I could have this hope. How awesome to know this promise, Lord. I know there have been times in my life that I gave up hope and became weary because I didn’t see with my eyes what You had promised. Now I can see and hope with an open heart. In Your precious name that endures forever, Amen.
“For You are my hope; O Lord God, You are my trust from my youth and the source of my confidence. Psalm 71:5 No matter what this day may bring or what situations try to discourage me, today Lord I know and believe and say with all confidence that You are my hope and I rest in You and thank You for never leaving me without hope and expectation of Your good in my life. “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are Your ways my ways, says the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways and My thoughts than your thoughts.” Isaiah 55:8-9 Your love never fails for me or anyone else. I thank You for being my hope and having ways and thoughts that are for good even if I don’t understand it at the time. I praise You always and speak of Your wonderful ways. Amen
“Heavenly Father, I continue to have persistent expectation and hope in You. “Why are you down cast, O my soul? And why should you moan over me and be disquieted within me? Hope in God and wait expectantly for Him, for I shall praise Him, my Help and my God.” Psalm 42:5 There are times and situations that could make me want to give up or have doubt in the promises I thought I heard. I speak against the doubt and fear that wants to try discourage and rule me. I know that I can trust and hope in Your love and strength always. I believe in my heart that expectation and hope in You brings peace and calmness in every circumstance that rises up. I bow before You and open my heart to receive all You have given me and I praise You! Amen
“As I come and send time with You today, Lord, I thank You again that I have hope and earnest expectation of all You have said. I don’t have to doubt and wonder what Your answer to a situation is because You have given every answer in Your Word. “Having the eyes of your heart flooded with light so that you can know and understand the hope to which He has called you..” Ephesians 1: 19 I know that when I lose hope my whole world becomes colorless and hard. Your say in Proverbs “Hope deferred makes the heart sick but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life.” Proverbs 13:12 Today I have the eyes of my heart open so that I can hear and receive from You. I don’t desire a heart that is sick and full of grief. I thank You and praise You always, Amen.
“Christ in you the Hope of glory.” “Christ within and among you, the Hope of realizing the glory.” Colossians 1:27 You are in me and because You are in me I have hope and expectation. I decide today to walk in this hope You have given and send away all the hopeless thoughts that have plagued my heart and mind. I replace those thoughts with the thoughts and promises of Your love and hope that never ends or never disappoints. Your Word is full of accounts of great men and women that never gave up hope because they knew You and Your love. Father, many of these great people of faith believed and had hope before You even lived inside men. How much greater is the hope I can have today. “Christ in me the Hope of glory.” “Christ within and among me, the Hope of realizing the glory.” I will persuade my heart of Your hope. Christ in me the Hope of glory. Christ in me the Hope of glory. Christ in me the Hope of glory. I love You and thank You for being my Hope! Amen