Proverbs 13:12, "Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a dream fulfilled is a tree of life." You ever have a week where you had to live from the proverbs and psalms? You know...looking for wisdom and trying to sing His praises? It's from that mindset that I share with you today.
It's in moments like this that I must dwell in the place of HOPE. Our faith is supposed to be made up of the substance of things hoped for. In other words, hope is a building block for faith. But what happens when what we hope for doesn't happen? How do we handle those moments when we have prayed for something and don't receive it?
Hope deferred makes the heart sick. Have you ever considered that living in disappointment can hurt you? You probably already know this, but entertain me for a moment. If we never learn how to handle the times that we have been disappointed, I believe that we can invite depression, anxiety, fear, and even sickness into our lives. How many people do you know that trusted the Lord for something, it didn't happen, and they never recovered? Not only did they not recover, but they created a theology that God doesn't do this/that, or that God doesn't answer certain prayers, or that God...well, you get the point. It's in the place of disappointment that we actually define God not based upon His Word, but upon our experiences in life.
In the same sense, when a longing is fulfilled it becomes a tree of life. The answer, the fulfillment, and the arrival of what we had hoped for becomes a place of provision and shelter for our faith. It doesn't matter what comes against our lives because we have a hope that is settled in what God has done. It's in the place of fulfillment that we are able to see God through the lens of His Word, find Him trustworthy, and experience His goodness.
This statement covers two ends of the spectrum. The first part deals with disappointment while the second part deals with success. Hope deferred is a place of sadness while hope received is a place of comfort. It's actually in both of these instances that we must learn a very important truth: we never base our lives or our faith on the successes and failures. We must always trust in His love.
That is why I love Psalm 13:5, "But I trust in your unfailing love; my heart rejoices in your salvation." In spite of what I am experiencing in life, I will continue to trust in God's unfailing love and rejoice in His salvation! This may sound like a simple concept but the results in your life will be astounding. I cannot allow my disappointments to shape my view of God. I cannot allow them to drive me to a place of despondency. I must always focus on the one clear thing that I know to be true: His love for me!
Too often, people wait until they are in the midst of disappointment before they try to secure themselves in the love of God. But it doesn't work. I have to make up my mind, based on the cross, that God has already demonstrated His love for me. I must trust in that unfailing love regardless of the circumstances in life. I must hold to the salvation that He has given to me and allow it to become an anchor for my soul. Maybe I haven't received everything that I trusted God for, but it will not shape my theology or concept of God.
He is the Lover of my soul!
He is my Redeemer!
He is my Counselor and Friend!
He is my Abba, Father!
He is my Hope!
This is what it means to dwell in the place of hope. I CANNOT allow disappointment to rule my mind or my emotions, and my lack cannot fuel my faith. It is actually in the unfailing love of God that I find confidence, I find security, and I discover strength. Just knowing and experiencing His love for me is enough to push me past the disappointment that I may be experiencing.
Here's what you and I must learn to do. Take our disappointments to the Lord. We acknowledge them before Him, affirm our trust in His unfailing love, and then continue to step out in faith. The process may take some time. So...you better learn how to remain in that place until your heart is moved. Then get up from that place and continue to move forward in your faith. And always remember that His love for you can overcome any disappointment. Take the wisdom we have discovered in the Proverbs and join it together with a song from the Psalms. You will recapture your hope and learn to trust in the God of your salvation.
May your weekend be blessed and all your hopes be fulfilled. May you rest in His unfailing love and rejoice over His salvation.
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