Hope Deferred

Proverbs 13:12 (NIV)
Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life.

Where does your hope lay? I’m discovering that where our hope lies has a profound impact on whether or not we will experience deferred hope. We all too often put our hope in men and relationships. We put our hope in our own wits. We put our hope in our education and experience. Some even put their hope in their charm and their looks.

But men will fail us and let us down, our wits will not always be what they are today (in fact we often think higher of ourselves than we ought to in the first place), and ultimately, it’s God who provides and allows us certain opportunities (sometimes regardless of our earthly qualifications). Ultimately, putting our hope in such things is a recipe for disappointment, pain, and despair. And a sick heart is of little use to anyone.

As followers of Jesus, we are involved in God’s kingdom activity, yet all flesh along with the powers of darkness rage and conspire against us. Therefore, our hope must be in God alone… no other.

Isaiah 40:31 (NIV)
but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.