Dear People Who Keep Company With God,
There appears to be a pandemic of deferred hope right now (Prov. 13:12). I have not escaped it and it has been challenging to not fall into discouragement, disappointment or other negative attitudes. But the Lord has not only kept me He has prospered my soul in some ways I was not expecting.
One morning while I was reflecting about my unfulfilled dreams God spoke something to me and the way He spoke caught me by surprise at first. He said, “The Bible offers no hope at all…” Then there was a pause and I thought that couldn’t be God! Then, He finished “…outside the person of Jesus Christ.” I began to think of some stories in the Bible.
Without doubt Moses is one of the greatest heroes of the faith. God spoke to him face to face, as a man speaks with his friend (Ex. 33:11). He was the most humble man on the face of the earth (Num. 12:3). He was used to do some of the most spectacular miracles in all of human history. He spent 40 years in preparation to lead Israel out of Egypt and into the Promised Land. And he spent 40 years leading millions of people through the wilderness, yet in the end he was not allowed to enter the Promised Land himself (Deut. 3:25-27).
King Solomon was likely the wealthiest man in all of history and was certainly the wisest man who ever lived (1Kings 4:30). Yet the last thing we hear of him was that he was doing evil in the sight of the Lord and worshipping the demonic gods of his many wives (1Kings 11:4-8).
Paul was one of the greatest apostles who ever walked the face of the earth. Yet in his last days we find him in a dark, cold, damp dungeon awaiting death, in need of basic necessities of life, betrayed and deserted by one of his friends and hurt by an enemy (2 Tim 4).
Perhaps the greatest revival recorded in the New Testament was in the city of Ephesus. There were unusual miracles and not a person in the city was left untouched by the power of God (Acts 19). Out of the revival was birthed one of the greatest churches of the New Testament. Some historians believe its numbers were over 50,000! Paul founded the church and Timothy and John the beloved were some of her notable pastors. Yet the last thing we hear about this great church was that she was in danger of losing the status of even being a church because she had forsaken love (Rev. 2:4).
Hope deferred really does break our hearts, but fortunately the story does not end there. It goes on to say when desire comes it is a tree of life (Prov.13:12). If all we had were these stories and not Jesus there would be no hope at all, but we do have Him. Jesus came to prevent us from failing and missing the true end and scope of life, which is the Lord Himself (Matt. 1:21 Amplified).
My unfilled hopes and dreams broke my heart and humbled me. I was not expecting that, but something really sweet has begun to emerge. I am getting to know the Lord in ways I do not believe I could have apart from this time I have walked through.
Many Blessings, BW