Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD. (Psalms 27:14)
Hope: a feeling of expectation and desire for a certain thing to happen.
- Worldly hope is a combination of wanting and expecting. Wishful thinking that you will get what you are wanting.
- Biblical hope is very different than worldly hope. Here are the 5 types of biblical hope:
Experiential Hope
Experiential hope is optimism in my current circumstance, because of what I have experienced God do in my other circumstances.
Unshakeable Hope
A reservoir of strength in life’s storms. Unshakeable hope is hope that provides a solid anchor, securely fastened for the strongest storms of life.
The Blessed Hope
The absolute guarantee that Jesus will come again and things will be wonderful.
Hope that is a permanent work of the Spirit
This type of hope is a fruit of the Spirit, that all believers can always expect.
Hope that reflects personal desires
The bible would call this type of hope the desires of your heart.
The 3 Dangers of Deferred Hope
- Depression – This is the simplest meaning of the text in Proverbs where it is called a sick heart. Proverbs 13:12 – Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life.
- Hindered Prayer Life – A sick heart is sick in more than one way. A dangerous result of hope deferred is that some people turn from God in that situation.
- It provides an opening for a spiritual infection.
- Germs get in through wounds
- Doctors are more concerned about infection than splitting your sternum open.
- Hope deferred can be like a cut in a person’s spirit, and if they are not careful an infection of temptation can slip in through that wound.
Hope deferred has led to many a single person taking up with the spawn of the devil. Be careful in a season of depression that you don’t go looking for solace in all the wrong places.
God is a faithful God working in our behalf, how can we keep from praising him? Even when things look bad, we can continue on with hope.
- Admit our problems honestly
- Talk to God about them
- Wait before him in prayer and meditation on the word
- When he speaks, listen, obey, and believe.
Love, Light, and Healing