Many times throughout life, we arrive at places or find ourselves in circumstances that we wish were different, and could change. Whether it be a job that leaves us dissatisfied or the boredom of doing the same things continually, frustration comes to us all. Sometimes even while giving our best effort in raising our children we feel disappointed, discouraged, or trapped as a parent. Fatherhood is not always rosy, and sometimes may even leave us wishing we could change or improve our circumstances.
Thankfully we are not alone in this battle, because we have a Heavenly Father who loves us and cares about our future and our families.
Principal Scripture
Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
(Romans 15:13)
The God Of Hope
God Speaking Into Our Hearts
Thankfully there are occasions when something arises in our hearts for just a fraction of a second that offers a potential way out, a light at the end of the tunnel. We see it in our hearts and feel the clarity it brings as it rises into our minds, a hope for better things to come. We don't always recognize it immediately as God speaking to us, but in hindsight, we often understand that that flash of hope was a divine intervention in our lives.
The Parable Of The Sower
(Matthew 13:3-9)
Then He spoke many things to them in parables, saying: “Behold, a sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seed fell by the wayside; and the birds came and devoured them. Some fell on stony places, where they did not have much earth; and they immediately sprang up because they had no depth of earth. But when the sun was up they were scorched, and because they had no root they withered away. And some fell among thorns, and the thorns sprang up and choked them. But others fell on good ground and yielded a crop: some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. He who has ears to hear, let him hear!”
*Understanding this parable will enable you to fight to keep hope alive in your heart, alternatively, ignorance of this spiritual reality may leave you in a hopeless situation.
The Seed Sown By The Wayside
When hope begins to arise in the human heart people respond differently. Some people see the chance that hope brings, but immediately consider reasons why it couldn’t happen or wouldn’t happen to them, and they change the image of hope in their hearts to an image of failure and defeat.
(Matthew 13:18-19)
“Therefore hear the parable of the sower: When anyone hears the word of the kingdom, and does not understand it, then the wicked one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. This is he who received seed by the wayside
The Seed Sown On Stony Places
When others hear the word of hope, they accept it readily but are unwilling to change in any way, in preparation for the new life that hope offers.
(Matthew 13:20-21)
But he who received the seed on stony places, this is he who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; yet he has no root in himself, but endures only for a while. For when tribulation or persecution arises because of the word, immediately he stumbles.
The Seed Sown Among Thorns
The next person we look at grabs hold of the word of hope, but then gets distracted by everything else that is going on around him, and so loses the hope he found.
(Matthew 13:22)
Now he who received seed among the thorns is he who hears the word, and the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and he becomes unfruitful.
The Seed Sown On Good Ground
Other people find themselves in similar circumstances but respond quite differently when they see the chance that hope brings. They perceive that hope is not just a random thought floating through their mind, but that it comes with power and a sense of destiny attached to it. When hope arrives in their hearts and minds, they grab hold of it firmly, like a man clinging to a life preserver amid a stormy sea. The more they hang onto it the firmer it becomes in their hands, and what began merely as potential begins to grow into an assurance that this really can happen.
(Matthew 13:23)
But he who received seed on the good ground is he who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and produces: some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.”
The more they ponder and consider the hope that they have seen in their hearts the stronger the image and certainty grows inside them, that there is a way out, that better things can come into their life. I believe that often hope is not just a random thought, but is an encouraging message sent from God, our loving heavenly Father to his child. Hope shines a light upon the path God knows will lead us out of our current circumstances and into a better future.
The God Of Hope
Hope is an anchor
There is a scripture written by the Apostle Paul that reveals a powerful principle for life it states that “Hope is an anchor for the soul of man”. An anchor is a steadying influence for a ship upon the sea, it keeps it facing in the right direction even in troubled waters and stops it from being wrecked upon the rocky shoreline.
(Hebrews 6:19)
This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, and which enters the Presence behind the veil,
The God Of Hope
Hope is a gift
Another one of my favorite scriptures reveals that God Himself is the source of hope to mankind and He imparts this as a gift to those who ask Him for it faithfully. This wonderful promise reveals that our hearts can be filled with joy and peace as we believe and entrust our lives to His care.
(Romans 15:13)
Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
The God Of Hope
Practical Steps To Keep Your Hope Alive
· Don’t negate hope by believing the negatives that arise in your mind
· Realize that hope comes with the power to bring itself to fulfillment
· Be patient and continue to believe in the hope in your heart
· Let hope grow into a step-by-step plan for a better future
· Be brave enough to act on your plan when the right time comes
Hope may only come as a glimpse, a momentary vision in our hearts but if we continue to believe in that hope it will grow stronger and a plan will begin to form in our mind.
(Jeremiah 29:11)
For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope
Remember that you don’t need to see the whole road first before you step out on the new journey that hope brings, every journey begins with a single step in the right direction. Step out in faith knowing that the same One who inspired the hope in your heart will continue to lead you as you travel along the road.
God Bless
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