Disciple Together

“Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life” -Psalm 13:12

Waiting is hard. Between the ages of 26 and 34, I realized that I really did want to get married (prior to that, I had a different view of marriage, but that’s a different story). 

Those years of waiting were very hard for me. I prayed and cried. And cried. And cried. I asked God for clarity and for Him to take away the desire if it wasn’t meant for me. 

Finally one day I had a revelation from scripture that truly encouraged my spirit and helped me in my waiting. 

It was the verse above, but probably not in the way we traditionally read it- and maybe not in the way intended either, but I’ll share it with you none-the-less. 

“Hope deferred makes the heart sick”. I realized that it wasn’t the fulfillment of the hope that was deferred. It was not having hope itself that made the heart sick. 

My job isn’t to fulfill the hope. I can’t make anyone marry me, as much as I would have liked to. All I can do is chose to hope, and act on that choice. 

It makes for a different experience of life!

“But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope: The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.” -Lamentations 3:21-23

“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.” -Romans 15:13

“But they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.” -Isaiah 40:31

Why this matters

Because I had hope, I went on E-Harmony (the online dating app) when I heard God tell me to.  Had I not had hope, I would have dismissed the thought. After all, I had tried it once before. 

Because of my hope, I met my husband. He was the first person I met, in fact! 

Because of hope, I also pursued checking out Brightline Eating (which I thought was a silly name). But because I did, I was finally able to have a healthy relationship with food, tackle the obsession, and create a lot more capacity in my life for things like… writing. 

Because of hope, I create content and connection opportunities that I believe will glorify God and impact someone, somewhere to also glorify Him and live a more congruent, faithful life. 

It matters that we are a people who hope. 

So if you have lost hope in some area of life, can I encourage you today, no matter what the evidence says, to trust in God, His might and power, His goodness toward you and His perfect design, and choose not to defer hoping any more. 

Have hope now.