Dashed hopes

Hope and despair are two opposites of life. Either life is filled with hope or with despair. It is a wrong notion to say that a believer should always be hopeful. Even the strongest of believer or man/woman of God can go through times of despair. But it is in those times where hope is built afresh like a stream emerging in a desert. Author Mrs. Charles Cowman birthed a wonderful devotional book called 'Streams in the Desert', when she faced times of despair when her husband took ill and they had to return home giving up their ministry. Though their hope to do great things for God dashed, God still used those times to birth this book through Mrs.Cowman which ministered to the wounded hearts of millions of people.

Colossians 1:27 (New International Version)

To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.

Whatever be the cause for our despair, we need not lay buried in it for Christ in us is the hope of glory. Glory be to Him who is the sure foundation for us to hope again.

Forseeing positively

The hope that the Lord gives is a positive forescast regarding the future. Nobody hopes for something negative to turn out. The Lord bestows that which is good to His children. Sometimes what we anticipate may not come to pass, but a provision or help may come from an unexpected source or even a breakthrough may take place which we would not have forseen.

That is why the Word of God says,

Psalm 33:18 (New International Version)
But the eyes of the LORD are on those who fear him, on those whose hope is in his unfailing love.

All we need to do is set our focus on the unfailing love of God...which never changes though at times we as humans fail to live up to His standards.

Real Hope

I have heard people say that they don't have faith to pray for certain things in life, as they are unable to see any positive cue's... This is just an excuse to not pray or to hope for better. They know that our Lord can do amazing things ... like healing, deliverance, provision, salvation, miracles etc... Yet to hope for something good or miracle to happen for them, they consider it is next to impossible...

But to hope for something good or miracle to happen to us, we need to have faith that the Lord who did these things in His time is able to do the same now... For He is the same yesterday , today and tommorrow.

Hebrews 13:8 (NIV)
Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.

But people find it difficult to apply this in their life, they want positive cue's before they need to pray for something. But look what the Word of God says,

Romans 8:24-25 (New International Version)
24.But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what he already has?
25.But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently.

We see with our eyes of faith, not with our natural eyes and hence pray with hope and faith. We need to be careful not to rely our faith on circumstances, but on God's Word and promise, so that what we hope for will certainly come to pass...

Hope while waiting

One of the consolation which has always helped me in times of waiting period is that the Lord is working on my concerns. Though I know that I should not be worrying about the issue for which I am expecting an answer it is really difficult to be calm in the waiting phase. Time and again I submit my concern to God in prayer, but I find it hard to really compose myself in peace. Anxiety overwhelms me many a time. When nothing really seems working it is really a challenge to keep faith for a particular issue. But the Word of God in Ps 138:8 really encourages the waiting soul.

Psalm 138:8 (New American Standard Bible)
The LORD will accomplish what concerns me; Your loving kindness, O LORD, is everlasting;

I like the word accomplish here; which is a surety for an answer. Therefore there is no doubt that He will bring about a solution in His time. I believe it and my soul is keeps faith because of God's Word. So next time my heart fails when there are no clouds in the sky, I assure myself that He is working on my concerns... and the answer, I will receive. Hallelujah!