Hope Deferred

Hope deferred makes the heart sick,

but when the desire comes, it is a tree of life. (Proverbs 13:12)

There are things we hope for, desires and dreams resident in our hearts. Longings and passions that when we are actively doing them, we feel God’s pleasure. We find joy and purpose when we are doing those things we were created to do.

We live in a distracted and confused world. In our hands we hold devices that can occupy our minds and eat away at our time and focus. There is an enemy of our souls and an adversary in our world who seeks to rob, steal, and destroy (John 10:10). His schemes and desires are not only in what we can see, but in what we cannot.

If he can rob our hope, convince us to believe a lie that a promise God has for us, a desire of our heart will never come to pass, he has gained a victory. A hope deferred or long-awaited can be evidence enough to convince us that it will never come to pass. The darkness and diabolical schemes of the enemy of our soul seek to convince us that perhaps what we long for will cruelly be kept from us.

The remedy of hopelessness it to turn our eyes to Jesus, the Author and Finisher of our faith (Hebrews 12:2). The One Who began a good work in us will complete it (Philippians 1:6). He has given us all things we need that pertain to life and godliness (2 Peter 1:3).

He provides us His strength to endure the disappointments, to persevere through adversity, to continue to chip away and be diligent in the work and call upon our lives. Particularly and specifically when there seems to be little fruit or acknowledgement. The longer we labor alongside Him, we see that anything we do is to bring Him glory. What freedom and joy we find there!