Renewed hope is a beautiful thing! You can be going along, living life, doing your job, caught up in the rigmarole of another day, when suddenly someone or something knocks you out of your groove.
Perhaps you’ve been praying faithfully for something that is on your heart. And with just a touch of God’s favor, a divine moment, you know for sure to keep hoping and praying because of a special confirmation. Renewed hope fills you with energy and expectancy and all of the sudden you know in God’s time it will all work together.
I pray for these moments. I ask God to fuel my hope, direct my prayers thru interactions or inclinations that He places on my heart. And He does! None too often – but in meaningful ways to me. When I see them, I rejoice! I thank Him and praise Him for the glimpse that He shows me of what He has for me. And I pray for faithfulness to press on as I wait for what He has next.
Live Expectantly
I was speaking with a dear friend the other day and she was saying how she was anticipating what is next. Not that she wasn’t grateful for what she has now, just she really was eager for the next thing. And I get that – me too!
In a world that seems to penalize you if you don’t look at something in the right way, I want to encourage you too. Anticipating what’s ahead is in no way wrong. Obviously our attitude needs to be correct, but it is perfectly appropriate to look forward to what’s ahead! I mean, what’s the alternative – to dread it?
I believe we should give our present our best effort, being grateful for where we are, but also thinking ahead to where God is leading. God always leads us somewhere new and different then where we are. I don’t think I’ve ever known of a story of someone being in the same place throughout their lives. The only constant (aside from God) is change!
There will always be another chapter, another lesson, another opportunity, another challenge. We prepare for what’s ahead through prayer, by giving our best where we are now, and looking ahead to where God is leading us.
Joy and Peace
A renewed hope helps us press on in the here and now with joy and peace. Peace that God has His hand on our lives and leads us where He needs us. And joy that we are living our lives for Him!
I heard an interesting take on Christ’s crucifixion the other day. As Christians, just as Christ was crucified on the cross, so we ought to hypothetically crucify our fleshly wants and desires. When we surrender our lives to God, we are to surrender everything to Him. This perspective was extreme to me, but not inaccurate. If we are to truly live for God, then His law is what leads us, not our selfish selves.
When we surrender to Him, what joy and peace we can discover – unlike any other. The Bible says that the joy of the Lord is our strength. Strength straight from God, that’s incredible! And when we make God our A#1, we will discover peace unlike any other. When our ways please God, He makes even our enemies be at peace with us. That is remarkable!
Claiming Christianity and following the ways of the world isn’t enough. It’s not even bare minimum. We must surrender, surrender, surrender, our desires, our inclinations, our attitudes. Christ sacrificed everything for us. May we have the strength and the courage to sacrifice everything for Him!
Strength for Today
Strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow. Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord unto me.
A renewed hope fuels our days. It fills us with strength and courage to press on, even though the vision, the dream, hasn’t yet arrived. When we give God our very best, when we live for Him, He fuels us with strength for today. Don’t get anxious about tomorrow or next week, today is all you need concern yourself with.
Strength comes in many forms. Perhaps in the form of resilience to finish out your work day interacting with people and running back and forth around your job. Maybe strength is in the form of biting your tongue and not responding in kind as someone spoke to you. Or perhaps strength helps you finish what has to be done and allows you the opportunity to catch a nap to restore and strengthen you for tomorrow.
No two people are the same, don’t be down on yourself that you don’t have the same strength you see in another. We each have our own unique strengths. Thank God for what He has given you and encourage another in the strength you see in them. Encouragement is a gold mine and a refuel of sorts in itself. Help another by sincerely encouraging them today.
A renewed hope is a breath of fresh air, fuel for our dreams, direction for our days, answers to prayer, and so much more. When you catch a glimpse of it, praise God!
Until Next Time!
Hope.
PS. https://www.theamericanlady.com/2024/06/05/confident-hope/