“Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.” Romans 12:12
Hope. At times, my hope is tugged at, poked and prodded at. There have always been circumstances in my life that have carried with them the familiar lie…there’s no hope here. Nothing will change. Things will not get better. Might as well give up. Maybe you are familiar with that lie too.
Hope. It’s the confident expectation that something good will take place. Where does this confidence come from? This expectation? I know the verse like the back of my hand, “For we know all things work together for the GOOD of those who love God and are called according to His purposes” Rom. 8:28. Jesus has made a way for us to always have hope. He is our constant and our steady point. He never changes and He never gets tired of loving us. You are continuously on His mind and He is ALWAYS praying for you. He desires the very best for you and is committed to finishing the awesome work He has already started with you (Phil 1:6). Does that mean we won’t experience pain? No, but it does mean that He will use even the hardest circumstances to bring about His good in our lives. He brings beauty through our pain. He breathes into us His strength in the midst of our struggling and suffering.
God is just good. Simply put. His love liberates us and He gives us identity in Him and purpose. In Jesus, even our problems have purpose, because through them we grow to be more like Him.
Hope. Hope it is what enables us to be patient in affliction. We can have patience knowing that God is working behind the scenes.
Hope. It is what enables us to be faithful in prayer. We pray knowing that He hears us. We pray knowing that if it matters to us, it matters to Him. We pray knowing that He is faithful to answer.
Hope. It’s the cord that we can hang unto when we feel like giving up. It’s what keeps us going, because we know that better days are in store and that God has never left us. He is always right by our side.
“And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with His Love.” Romans 5:5
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How wonderful to hear how this has heepld you!I have to admit, the Bible isn’t the first place I turn to when I need support. And when I do turn to it, I’m not very likely to mention it to anyone. I have a huge amount of faith, and it is that which has brought me through so many rough times. But I’m not always sure how to express that. I never describe myself to people as a Christian, even though some others possibly would (and have). I guess I feel I’m far too liberal in my thinking to share in these kinds of things and as I’ve found myself the outsider several times before it just seems easier not to join in.But, saying that, it means I miss out on sharing in the absolute joy of how faith can truly change our lives. So when I read this I had a think, then grabbed our Bible and had a look.And the verse I think which sums up really what prayer has heepld me with this year is this: I alone know the plans I have for you, plans to bring you prosperity and not disaster, plans to bring about the future you hope for. Jeremiah 29:11 (taken from the Good News Bible translation). I really struggled to come to terms with the pregnancy experience we had. And the breastfeeding troubles we had. And the fact my Endo started playing up again as soon as I stopped breastfeeding. I always felt like I was meant to have a big family, as if that was God’s plan for me because it felt so natural to take that path. I had come to a kind of peace before we started trying to conceive that if I couldn’t fall pregnant, God had a different plan for us. Maybe adopting, maybe fostering, maybe something else. So when I fell pregnant easily but had to suffer with undiagnosed HG for so long I just could not get my head round what the plan was. I was angry and sad and everything else. Why would God let me fall pregnant and then suffer so badly?Recently I’ve been realising that every time someone has told me I am a good writer they were reaffirming something to me. I realised my degree in foreign languages set me up as a good communicator. And I felt as if maybe God had sent me the pregnancy I had so that I could use the gifts he gave me to make a difference. And I started to feel some peace about that.I’m still not sure what God really has planned for us in terms of our own family, but I am learning to let go and stop trying to control it all myself. I’m trying to give it up to God and see what happens. It’s hard, but that’s where we’re at and that’s why I chose this verse. Sorry for the super long comment. I hope the beginning wasn’t too cryptic. One day soon I might get around to writing a post on my blog that actually explains it all a bit more. But until then, thanks for making me stop and think about this today xAmanda recently posted..
Amanda,
Thank you so much for sharing a bit of your story with me. I believe with wholehearted confidence that God has amazing plans for you whatever those plans may be. He desires life and abundance and joy and love for you. Use this time to pull close to Jesus. Get to know his heart for you, by reading the word and talking out your feelings with God. God has used every hardship in my life to deepen my relationship with him. Keep fighting the good fight of faith!
How wonderful to hear how this has heepld you!I have to admit, the Bible isn’t the first place I turn to when I need support. And when I do turn to it, I’m not very likely to mention it to anyone. I have a huge amount of faith, and it is that which has brought me through so many rough times. But I’m not always sure how to express that. I never describe myself to people as a Christian, even though some others possibly would (and have). I guess I feel I’m far too liberal in my thinking to share in these kinds of things and as I’ve found myself the outsider several times before it just seems easier not to join in.But, saying that, it means I miss out on sharing in the absolute joy of how faith can truly change our lives. So when I read this I had a think, then grabbed our Bible and had a look.And the verse I think which sums up really what prayer has heepld me with this year is this: I alone know the plans I have for you, plans to bring you prosperity and not disaster, plans to bring about the future you hope for. Jeremiah 29:11 (taken from the Good News Bible translation). I really struggled to come to terms with the pregnancy experience we had. And the breastfeeding troubles we had. And the fact my Endo started playing up again as soon as I stopped breastfeeding. I always felt like I was meant to have a big family, as if that was God’s plan for me because it felt so natural to take that path. I had come to a kind of peace before we started trying to conceive that if I couldn’t fall pregnant, God had a different plan for us. Maybe adopting, maybe fostering, maybe something else. So when I fell pregnant easily but had to suffer with undiagnosed HG for so long I just could not get my head round what the plan was. I was angry and sad and everything else. Why would God let me fall pregnant and then suffer so badly?Recently I’ve been realising that every time someone has told me I am a good writer they were reaffirming something to me. I realised my degree in foreign languages set me up as a good communicator. And I felt as if maybe God had sent me the pregnancy I had so that I could use the gifts he gave me to make a difference. And I started to feel some peace about that.I’m still not sure what God really has planned for us in terms of our own family, but I am learning to let go and stop trying to control it all myself. I’m trying to give it up to God and see what happens. It’s hard, but that’s where we’re at and that’s why I chose this verse. Sorry for the super long comment. I hope the beginning wasn’t too cryptic. One day soon I might get around to writing a post on my blog that actually explains it all a bit more. But until then, thanks for making me stop and think about this today xAmanda recently posted..
Amanda,
Thank you so much for sharing a bit of your story with me. I believe with wholehearted confidence that God has amazing plans for you whatever those plans may be. He desires life and abundance and joy and love for you. Use this time to pull close to Jesus. Get to know his heart for you, by reading the word and talking out your feelings with God. God has used every hardship in my life to deepen my relationship with him. Keep fighting the good fight of faith!