People who have heard my stories know how I have struggled with the word hope. I struggled because I didn’t understand what hope meant. God says to put our hope in Him, but to be honest I put my hope in all my wishes, my dreams, my plans, and my desires. My hope was that He would give me those things, but my hope was not in Him and His glorious ways. I was so blind to the truth, to His word. I was so deep in my desires and not in His desires. Outwardly, it appeared I had such faith, and I spoke of His faith, but I didn’t truly have the rock solid faith I needed to have peace, peace when alone, peace about my future, and peace to share with others. I had fear. I love Ecclesiastes 11:3 when it basically says the tree is going to land where the tree is going to land. To me it says God’s plans will prevail, and I know His plans are best. In verse four, I was struck by the paralyzing power of fear. Then, verse 5 said it all - said it all. God is the maker of all things. He is the maker of all things, all babies, all jobs, all health issues, all marriages, and all elected officials.
Ecclesiastes 11New International Version (NIV)
Invest in Many Ventures
11 Ship your grain across the sea;
after many days you may receive a return.
2 Invest in seven ventures, yes, in eight;
you do not know what disaster may come upon the land.
3 If clouds are full of water,
they pour rain on the earth.
Whether a tree falls to the south or to the north,
in the place where it falls, there it will lie.
4 Whoever watches the wind will not plant;
whoever looks at the clouds will not reap.
5 As you do not know the path of the wind,
so you cannot understand the work of God,
the Maker of all things.
6 Sow your seed in the morning,
and at evening let your hands not be idle,
for you do not know which will succeed,
whether this or that,
or whether both will do equally well.
Basically, the tree is going to be where the tree is going to be.
I’m obviously still working on developing that peace that glorifies God in all things, and it’s definitely a work in progress.
Recently, I read about Moses’ mother, and I was astonished by her mighty faith and how her hope was in the Lord and not her own obvious desires.
Exodus 2:1-10New International Version (NIV)
The Birth of Moses
2 Now a man of the tribe of Levi married a Levite woman, 2 and she became pregnant and gave birth to a son. When she saw that he was a fine child, she hid him for three months. 3 But when she could hide him no longer, she got a papyrus basket[a] for him and coated it with tar and pitch. Then she placed the child in it and put it among the reeds along the bank of the Nile. 4 His sister stood at a distance to see what would happen to him.
5 Then Pharaoh’s daughter went down to the Nile to bathe, and her attendants were walking along the riverbank. She saw the basket among the reeds and sent her female slave to get it. 6 She opened it and saw the baby. He was crying, and she felt sorry for him. “This is one of the Hebrew babies,” she said.
7 Then his sister asked Pharaoh’s daughter, “Shall I go and get one of the Hebrew women to nurse the baby for you?”
8 “Yes, go,” she answered. So the girl went and got the baby’s mother. 9 Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, “Take this baby and nurse him for me, and I will pay you.” So the woman took the baby and nursed him. 10 When the child grew older, she took him to Pharaoh’s daughter and he became her son. She named him Moses,[b] saying, “I drew him out of the water.”
Her story spoke to my heart. It was amazing to me that her faith was rewarded when she was able to nurse her son and even receive pay for doing so. That’s only the work God can do. I love our God of miracles, divine intervention, and unseen plans.
Hebrews 11:1King James Version (KJV)
11 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
God says to hope in things unseen. Oh how beautiful are the things unseen, like Heaven and God’s glory. Four years since Brynlee’s birth I can finally say my hope is in the Lord like never before, all His promises and all His ways - not my ways or my dreams.
My hope is built on nothing less
than Jesus' blood and righteousness.
I dare not trust the sweetest frame,
but wholly lean on Jesus' name.
Refrain:
On Christ the solid rock I stand,
all other ground is sinking sand;
all other ground is sinking sand.
2. When Darkness veils his lovely face,
I rest on his unchanging grace.
In every high and stormy gale,
my anchor holds within the veil.
(Refrain)
3. His oath, his covenant, his blood
supports me in the whelming flood.
When all around my soul gives way,
he then is all my hope and stay.
(Refrain)
4. When he shall come with trumpet sound,
O may I then in him be found!
Dressed in his righteousness alone,
faultless to stand before the throne!
(Refrain)
Your hope can be found in God and all unseen, glorious things. I pray His peace prevails when darkness hails. My hope is built on nothing less.
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