Hope

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

Proverbs 13:12

Every woman is familiar with unfulfilled longings that can come in the form of material possessions, attention, another child, etc. We wait and wait in hope that someone or something will fill our desires. In the end we only end up being disappointed, heart sick and in deep despair. We begin to seek a way to resolve our disappointments and often we act in manipulative ways. Sometimes we catch ourselves demanding others, at their expense, to fulfill our desires. We can even reach a place where we put a limit on God or settle for less than what He has planned for our life. Whether we limit God or settle for less, we lose either way. How much better off would we be if we chose to trust in God alone to fulfill our every dream? What if we learned to wait patiently on Him and trust His timing instead of demanding our way or giving up? Only God can see the big picture, and only He has the power to fulfill what the heart desires. He is so gracious and longs to show us compassion. His Word says that we are blessed when we wait on Him.

“Yet the LORD longs to be gracious to you;
He rises to show you compassion.
For the LORD is a God of justice.
Blessed are all who wait for Him!”

Isaiah 30:18

No matter how bleak our situation may be, He knows the path that is laid out before each one of us, and He knows the ultimate outcome. He does not always answer our prayers immediately. Sometimes He answers by making us wait so that His plan will spring forth in His perfect time and our faith can grow. When we have hope in the Lord, we can trust in His promises and His timing and soar above the feelings of emptiness. This hope can renew our strength, we will be able to run and not grow weary, walk and not feel faint, and we can soar on wings like eagles.

“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.”

Isaiah 40:31

Writtten by Nicole