Hold onto Hope

When hope’s dream seems to drag on and on,

    the delay can be depressing.

    But when at last your dream comes true,

    life’s sweetness will satisfy your soul.

-Proverbs 13:12 TPT

Have you ever had a delayed hope, something that was promised to you but never came to fruition. 

No matter what it is, it’s felt deeply, even if you eventually forget. 

What do you do when what you are hoping for seems to never come?

There is a beauty in holding onto hope, it can be painful, it can be confusing, but if you hold on it will be rewarding. 

My belief is that when you have to hold onto hope you are strengthened during the process. 

The Apostle Paul was on a ship, as a prisoner, being transported at a time where he knew would be dangerous because of the season. Sure enough, him, the guards, and the other prisoners were caught in a storm. Not just any storm..the Bible reads..

After many days of seeing neither the sun nor the stars, and with the violent storm continuing to rage against us, all hope of ever getting through it alive was abandoned. 

-Acts 27: 20 TPT

All hope of surviving this storm was abandoned. Have you ever been in a fight so long that you stopped fighting?

Praying for a marriage, praying for a baby, praying for a loved one who is facing a deadly sickness, praying for your own sanity? Maybe it is how you are going to pay the bills or feed the kids? 

Have you ever had a fight where you gave it all and it still wasn’t enough. You did all the “right” things but in the end it didn’t seem to matter. 

What do you do then? What is your thoughts? How are your emotions?

Now the story only gets better, the Bible states that the people caught in the storm had been without food for a while, they are hungry and waiting to die but there is something about this storm that seems to be dragging death out. The boat is barely hanging on, they understand that it is a good possibility that the boat won’t last and in their minds I can only imagine that that is where they believe the end will be for them. 

“When the boat breaks so will we”…but here comes Paul..

For God’s angel visited me last night, the angel of my God, the God I passionately serve. He came and stood in front of me and said, ‘Don’t be afraid, Paul. You are destined to stand trial before Caesar. And because of God’s favor on you, he has given you the lives of everyone who is sailing with you.’ So men, keep up your courage! I know that God will protect you, just as he told me he would. But we must run aground on some island to be saved.” 

-Acts 27:23-26 TPT

The favor that God has on you as the faithful can actually be the very sustenance that causes someone else to survive. 

Your faith will breathe hope into those who are suffocating around you, even if you are suffocating yourself.

Just believe. 

As the faithful, you do not war against flesh and blood. The storms that come into our life aren’t meant to kill us, it is meant to drown your belief.  To drown your belief that God is good and that His promises are true and that He is Faithful. The storm can’t kill you but it can bring you to a place of hunger that is so aching that you wish you were dead…

Don’t let it kill your hope, steal your faith, or destroy your love. 

You keep on loving God. You keep having a faith that seeks and speaks. And most of all hold onto the Hope that is the breeding ground for breakthrough. 

It may be hard, it may be confusing, but in one moment a word from God can hit your spirit and you will know that EVERYTHING is going to be alright. 

Our God is bigger than any storm we may ever find ourselves in. No matter how it may feel or seem, He is Faithful.

Stay Hopeful.