“Hope deferred makes the heart sick, But when desire is fulfilled, it is a tree of life.”

.Proverbs 13:12 AMP

One of the benefits of being a Christian is that if we keep our focus on Christ we will never be without hope! The word hope here in Hebrew is word meaning to have a positive future prospect.” Where is your hope today? We clearly see the results of hopelessness as we watch the drug addiction and suicide numbers skyrocketing! The verse above tells us that hope “deferred” makes the heart sicks. The word deferred there means to be “moved by an outside force; or to drag an object along.” Hope is a force that acts upon our emotions either motivating us to carry on or dragging us into the pit of despair.  Literally that if we lose hope, that force will drag us to a place we do not want to go! With all the worldly philosophy being tossed about today, it is good to know as a Christian that the Word of God and His promises are a stable place from which our hope can come. Many young people today base their worth and popularity on their social medica score. There are documented cases of young people taking their life over a negative comment that someone who they may not even know made about themselves. One of my favorite verses in the Scripture when I get in that place is from the book of Jerimiah.

“For I know the plans and thoughts that I have for you,’ says the LORD, ‘plans for peace and well-being and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. 12Then you will call on Me and you will come and pray to Me, and I will hear [your voice] and I will listen to you. 13Then [with a deep longing] you will seek Me and require Me [as a vital necessity] and [you will] find Me when you search for Me with all your heart.”

Jerimiah 29:12 AMP

Notice that when our trust is in Him it develops a “deep longing” in our inner being to trust Him! The Apostle Paul gave us good advice,

“Therefore we do not become discouraged [spiritless, disappointed, or afraid]. Though our outer self is [progressively] wasting away, yet our inner self is being [progressively] renewed day by day. 17For our momentary, light distress [this passing trouble] is producing for us an eternal weight of glory [a fullness] beyond all measure [surpassing all comparisons, a transcendent splendor and an endless blessedness]! 18So we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are unseen; for the things which are visible are temporal [just brief and fleeting], but the things which are invisible are everlasting and imperishable.”

2 Corinthians 4:16-18 AMP

Do you see it? If our focus and trust is in God, we will not be disappointed or afraid! It does not say that everything will go as we want. It does not say that we will not have difficulties in this life. It does however remind us that the unseen things of this life are the really important ones! That’s where faith comes to play. Th Apostle also wrote the church at Rome about hope,

“For whatever was written in earlier times was written for our instruction, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope and overflow with confidence in His promises.”

Romans 15:4 AMP

No one desires to walk through the valley of testing. Our problem is that we cannot see the future and understand the mind of God. Since the days of Adam and Eve, sin has been ruling and reigning in this world. The good news is however that the power of sin and death has been broken! Jeremiah in the middle of some severe persecution wrote,

““Blessed [with spiritual security] is the man who believes and trusts in and relies on the LORD And whose hope and confident expectation is the LORD.”

Jerimiah 17:7 AMP

I am not in any way saying that trails are not difficult! Some have walked through the valley of death while trusting God. Remember that there are promises for this side of life and the next. Jesus was clear,

“I have told you these things, so that in Me you may have [perfect] peace. In the world you have tribulation and distress and suffering, but be courageous [be confident, be undaunted, be filled with joy]; I have overcome the world.” [My conquest is accomplished, My victory abiding.]” 

John 16:33 AMP

Let me encourage you today, be in perfect peace, courageous, confident, undaunted, and filled with the joy of the Lord for He loves you with an everlasting love and will never leave or forsake you! Have a blessed day, Pastor Ken