Renewed Hope

When we live in a world of “IF ONLY” we are living in a world of hopelessness. We are simply waiting for all things to fall into place so that we can have the outcome we long for.

“If only I he would ________, then we may have hope of fixing our marriage.” 

“If only we had _____________ we could survive this.”

“If only our kids could see ________ then they would be on the right track.”

“If only she realized _________ then our relationship could be healthy.”

“If only we made ______, our financial nightmare would be over.”

But, what if it is in those times when we feel the greatest need, that we have the most? What if it were in our struggles, that we came to the place of greatest surrender? And what if that surrender, that complete helplessness, that letting go of our control, is where we need to be in order to allow God to do what He does best?

Left to our own devices, I fear that we are most prone to destroy the destiny God designed for us. We aren’t here by accident. Our entry into this world and the circumstances that surround our lives are not outside of God’s plan until we try to “improve” things by doing what we feel is best, rather than allowing Him to direct. Remember Adam and Eve? They decided – even after who knows how many days, years, or even centuries of walking with God in a perfect relationship, that they could do better than that. Why? Because they were deceived. They were coaxed into believing something else could be better than God’s plan.

Listening to and believing lies always ends badly. But how can we know the difference between the truth and the lies that are so very convincing and often quite logical? First of all, stop listening to the voice of the world. If you have a friend that is not walking with Jesus, that is not a student of God’s Word, then as sweet and wise as they seem to be, if they don’t know Jesus, they can’t be trusted to lead you down His path for you. Second, get into the Word of God and find out what Jesus had to say about life. Read what His closest followers learned from their time with Him.

Finally, commit to walking closer to Jesus, realizing that He walked some pretty dark and lonely roads. Walking with Jesus doesn’t mean everything is beautiful and rosy and turns out exactly as we planned. It means that we are in the hands of the Potter who will continually mold us into His likeness with the circumstances that come our way.

If your marriage is not what you want, let God use that to mold you and shape you into a vessel filled with His love. If your kids are difficult to handle, God is teaching you to be a better parent. If your job sucks, God is strengthening you for the future. If your family is not treating you with love, God is teaching you to be long-suffering. If things are taking too long to change, He is teaching you patience.

Look past what you can see right now. Look into the unseen. You just may get a glimpse into what God is doing in your life.

“So we’re not giving up. How could we! Even though on the outside it often looks like things are falling apart on us, on the inside, where God is making new life, not a day goes by without his unfolding grace. These hard times are small potatoes compared to the coming good times, the lavish celebration prepared for us. There’s far more here than meets the eye. The things we see now are here today, gone tomorrow. But the things we can’t see now will last forever.”

2 Corinthians 5:16-18 (The Message)