By
Allen White
Hope
deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life. Proverbs
13:12
What
have you ever deferred? It’s not a word that we use much. Many people defer
their college loan payments until after they finish graduate school and/or find
a job. That’s a good thing to defer. No payments. No interest. Makes you wonder
why anyone would stop taking classes. Those loans could just be deferred into
oblivion.
Hope
is to the heart what oxygen is to the bloodstream. It’s interesting that the
Bible doesn’t tell us that we need to give a reason for our faith, rather we
are instructed to give a reason for our hope: “Always be prepared to give an
answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have”
(1 Peter 3:15).
Our
hope is not merely in hope. Otherwise, we could probably buy “hope on a rope”
from Christian television. (Sorry, I couldn’t resist). Why do we have hope?
This
is not just a hope that things will get better. Job learned these things the
hard way: “Yet when I hoped for good, evil came; when I looked for light, then
came darkness” (Job 30:26). The Bible promises that “No one whose hope is in
you will ever be put to shame” (Psalm 25:3).
The
Bible shows us a process for hope: “We know that suffering produces
perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not
disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy
Spirit, whom he has given us” (Romans 5:3-5). While it would seem easier to
just buy a lottery ticket, the odds are better with the process.
Often
we become discouraged because we hope for the wrong things. “I hope my kids
will behave everyday, all day, for the rest of their childhood.” “I hope that
my marriage, my job, my life would become problem-free.” “I hope that I can
survive this day.” Hope anchored to circumstances is bound to drag us down.
Hope anchored to God will lift us up despite our circumstances.
Rick
Warren says, “You can live a week without food. You can live a few days without
water. You can live a few minutes without oxygen. But, you can’t live a second
without hope.”
How’s
your hope level today? If it’s low, then surf over to Biblegateway.com and
search the word “hope.” You won’t be disappointed.
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