The word hope is in the bible 144 times.
It is powerful for us to think about for without hope one feels empty and void.
[God brings death and God brings life, brings down to the grave and raises up. God brings poverty and God brings wealth; he lowers, he also lifts up. He puts poor people on their feet again; he rekindles burned-out lives with fresh hope, Restoring dignity and respect to their lives—] Ist Samuel 2:6
I love it when it says he rekindles us with fresh hope.
That means ‘new’ never used or never given to anyone but you.
[God, the one and only— I’ll wait as long as he says. Everything I hope for comes from him, so why not?
He’s solid rock under my feet, breathing room for my soul, An impregnable castle: I’m set for life.] psalm 62:5-6
Everything I HOPE FOR comes from him, it leaves breathing room for my soul, isn’t that beautiful?
Read it again and say it out loud.
Everything I hope for comes from him…from who? The God who loves you.
[“Would you mind if I said something to you? Under the circumstances it’s hard to keep quiet.
You yourself have done this plenty of times, spoken words that clarify, encouraged those who were about to quit.
Your words have put stumbling people on their feet, put fresh hope in people about to collapse.
But now you’re the one in trouble—you’re hurting! You’ve been hit hard and you’re reeling from the blow.
But shouldn’t your devout life give you confidence now? Shouldn’t your exemplary life give you hope?] Job 4:1-6
Even the encouragers need hope sometimes and even a heart to heart challenge to press forward.
[I’ll show up and take care of you as I promised and bring you back home. I know what I’m doing.
I have it all planned out—plans to take care of you, not abandon you, plans to give you the future you hope for.] Jeremiah 29:11
What a beautiful and amazing promise.
I think hope is like water to a dry and wilted spirit.
Often I will water my plants when they are almost laying down and looking really parched.
I put them in the sink, soak them and an hour or so later they are standing strong and steady.
Hope does that for us.
[When life is heavy and hard to take, go off by yourself.
Enter the silence. Bow in prayer.
Don’t ask questions: Wait for hope to appear.
Don’t run from trouble. Take it full-face. The “worst” is never the worst.] lamentation 3:28-30
I like it when it says ‘wait for hope to appear’.
That means it will. Always. Come to your rescue.
[I remember it all—oh, how well I remember— the feeling of hitting the bottom.
But there’s one other thing I remember, and remembering, I keep a grip on hope:] lamentations 3:21
Yes we must keep a grip on hope. Cling to it like a life line.
God also knows our stories.
[“The heart is hopelessly dark and deceitful, a puzzle that no one can figure out.
But I, God, search the heart and examine the mind.
I get to the heart of the human. I get to the root of things.
I treat them as they really are, not as they pretend to be.”] Jeremiah 17:9-10
He knows our heart conditions could not flourish or grow without HIS intervention and or protection.
Then He responds as we move forward.
[God proves to be good to the man who passionately waits,
to the woman who diligently seeks.
It’s a good thing to quietly hope, quietly hope for help from God.
It’s a good thing when you’re young to stick it out through the hard times.] lamentations 3:24-25
He says we wait in quiet. We learn from silence, and we listen.
I love this final promise and I have experienced it myself so I know it’s true and possible.
[Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life.] Proverbs 13:12