<\/p>\n
\u201cMy hope is built on nothing less than Jesus’ blood and righteousness; I dare not trust the sweetest frame, but wholly lean on Jesus’ name.\u201d (Lyrics by Edward Mote, 1834)<\/p>\n
Perhaps you\u2019re familiar with Proverbs 13:12, which says, \u201cHope deferred makes the heart sick.\u201d And if you\u2019ve ever experienced hope deferred, you understand the Bible\u2019s meaning all too well.<\/p>\n
I still remember the sick feeling when receiving news that one of my long-time writing contracts had been \u201cpaused\u201d indefinitely. The organization had merged with another, and under new leadership all new content had been halted. My hope was deferred that day\u2014the hope of continuing to encourage many through the ministry I\u2019d come to know as \u201cfamily.\u201d<\/p>\n
As I turned to God for answers, He lovingly took me through a refining process, revealing the places where my hope was built on temporal things. Though it took many passes through the Refiner\u2019s fire, I was finally able to surrender my disappointment and allow the Lord to rebuild my hope.<\/p>\n
You might not know this, but the Bible mentions hope more than 130 times, reminding us, \u201cIn his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead (1 Peter 1:3).<\/p>\n
It\u2019s the living hope we have in Christ Jesus that allows us to move forward despite life\u2019s disappointments. It keeps us grounded in the Word and held fast to His purpose. So, if you\u2019re experiencing hope deferred, please don\u2019t despair.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Here are a few reminders about the living hope built on nothing less:<\/p>\n
When navigating my emotions through the unexpected job loss, the Lord reminded me time and again that He had my best in mind. He was \u201cfor\u201d me, not against me. What I perceived as negative, He turned into a blessing. Over the course of several months, He emphasized\u2026<\/p>\n
1. His Protection<\/p>\n
\u201cBut\u00a0the Lord is faithful. He will establish you and\u00a0guard you against\u00a0the evil one.\u201d (2 Thessalonians 3:3 ESV)<\/p>\n
2. His Favor<\/p>\n
\u201cSurely,\u00a0Lord, you bless the righteous; you surround them\u00a0with your favor as with a shield.\u201d (Psalm 5:12)<\/p>\n
3. His Purpose<\/p>\n
\u201cFor we are God\u2019s handiwork,\u00a0created\u00a0in Christ Jesus to do good works,\u00a0which God prepared in advance for us to do.\u201d (Ephesians 2:10)<\/p>\n
4. His Anointing<\/p>\n
\u201cAs for you, the anointing [the special gift, the preparation] which you received from Him remains [permanently] in you, and you have no need for anyone to teach you. But just as His anointing teaches you [giving you insight through the presence of the Holy Spirit] about all things, and is true and is not a lie, and just as His anointing has taught you, you must remain in Him [being rooted in Him, knit to Him].\u201d (1 John 2:27 AMP)<\/p>\n
When your plans fail, pray for wisdom and insight into what God is doing in your life. If certain areas require repentance, go to the Father and confess. Remember 1 John 1:9: \u201cIf we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
If the Lord is leading you in another direction, pivot without complaint. And if He is silent, wait on Him patiently while continuing in other areas He\u2019s called you to. Set your hope on nothing less than God\u2019s best for you\u2014even if it looks different than you envisioned.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Here are more comforting Scriptures to remember:<\/p>\n
\u201cFor I know the plans\u00a0I have for you,\u201d declares the\u00a0Lord, \u201cplans to prosper\u00a0you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.\u201d (Jeremiah 29:11)<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd hope\u00a0does not put us to shame, because God\u2019s love\u00a0has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit,\u00a0who has been given to us.\u201d (Romans 5:5)<\/p>\n
\u201cMay the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace\u00a0as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.\u201d (Romans 15:13)<\/p>\n
In all our strivings as humans, it\u2019s easy to place our hope in personal achievement and earthly success. And while there\u2019s nothing wrong with setting and reaching our goals, it\u2019s dangerous to put our hope in anything less than Christ\u2019s finished work on the cross.<\/p>\n
As 1 Peter 2:24 so powerfully states, \u201cHe himself bore our sins in his body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed.\u201d Living in the righteousness of Christ, fully healed and delivered from sin and death, is our ultimate victory.<\/p>\n
No earthly achievement compares to the glorious hope we have in Christ. As Paul emphasized in 1 Corinthians 15:3-4, \u201cFor what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures.\u201d<\/p>\n
Jesus\u2019 perfect sacrifice is of first importance. It\u2019s the foundation from which all other hope flows. Like a spring that bursts forth from the ground, hope in Christ\u2019s finished work overflows with love, gratitude, and eternal assurance.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Here are more Scriptures for building a solid foundation:<\/p>\n
\u201cSo this is what the Sovereign\u00a0Lord\u00a0says: \u2018See, I lay a stone in Zion,\u00a0a tested stone, a precious cornerstone for a sure foundation; the one who relies on it will never be stricken with panic.\u2019\u201d (Isaiah 28:16)<\/p>\n
\u201cFor no one can lay a\u00a0foundation other\u00a0than that which is laid,\u00a0which is Jesus Christ.\u201d (1 Corinthians 3:11 ESV)<\/p>\n
One passage of Scripture I never tire of reading is Revelation 22:1-5, which says, \u201cThen the angel showed me the river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb down the middle of the great street of the city. On each side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations. No longer will there be any curse. The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city, and his servants will serve him. They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. There will be no more night. They will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, for the Lord God will give them light. And they will reign for ever and ever.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
In light of this passage, hope deferred becomes a temporary trial that will one day be replaced with the light of eternity. The river of the water of life will quench every thirst; the tree of life will heal every nation. Our eyes that now see dimly will look clearly into the face of God as His love chases away every last shadow of hopelessness.<\/p>\n
My friend, I know the things of this earth weigh heavily, but don\u2019t lose hope. Allow the Holy Spirit to renew your vision and bring His will into focus. Brick by brick, build your life on nothing less than Jesus\u2019 blood and righteousness. Trust not in \u201cthe sweetest frame, but wholly lean on Jesus\u2019 name.\u201d<\/p>\n
More Resources for Your Journey:<\/strong><\/p>\n A Prayer for Hope<\/p>\n How Do We Cling to Hope?<\/p>\n Looking to the New Year with Hope Rather Than Dread<\/p>\n Photo Credit: \u00a9Pexels\/David Dibert<\/span><\/p>\n Jennifer Waddle<\/strong> is the author of several books, including Prayer WORRIER: Turning Every Worry into Powerful Prayer,\u00a0<\/em>and is a regular contributor for LifeWay, Crosswalk, Abide, and Christians Care International. Jennifer\u2019s online ministry is EncouragementMama.com where you can find her books and sign up for her weekly post, Discouragement Doesn<\/em>\u2019t Win.<\/em> She resides with her family near the foothills of the Rocky Mountains\u2014her favorite place on earth.\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" \u201cMy hope is built on nothing less than Jesus’ blood and righteousness; I dare not trust the sweetest frame, but wholly lean on Jesus’ name.\u201d (Lyrics by Edward Mote, 1834) Perhaps you\u2019re familiar with Proverbs 13:12, which says, \u201cHope deferred makes the heart sick.\u201d And if you\u2019ve ever experienced hope deferred, you understand the Bible\u2019s<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":14787,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[39],"tags":[4301,553],"class_list":{"0":"post-14786","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-christian-living","8":"tag-built","9":"tag-hope"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/biblelon.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14786","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/biblelon.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/biblelon.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/biblelon.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/biblelon.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=14786"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/biblelon.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14786\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/biblelon.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/14787"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/biblelon.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=14786"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/biblelon.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=14786"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/biblelon.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=14786"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}