Stages of a tree...

Stages of a tree…

What comes to mind when you hear the word hope? After writing the book, Rescuing Hope, I see faces when I hear the word hope, because I don’t hear a verb, I hear a proper noun, a girl’s name.  Hope to me represents the girls I interviewed for the book, the ones still held in bondage in need of rescuing, and those who have yet to be lured but are on the brink of capture.

The word hope also brings Jesus to mind.  In 1 Timothy 1:1, Jesus is called our hope.  Jeremiah 14:22 also refers to God as our hope when it says,

Do any of the worthless idols of the nations bring rain? Do the skies themselves send down showers? No, it is You, O LORD our God. Therefore our hope is in You, for You are the One who does all this.”

I had a very good friend in college named Hope.  My older brother, David, used to tease us by calling us Hopeless and Useless. The truth of the matter is, when we place our hope in anything other than Jesus we find ourselves hopeless.  The hope we placed turns out to be useless.  There is nothing that will make a heart sicker than hopelessness.  Proverbs 13:12 says,

Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life.”

As Beth Moore points out,

“A tree takes time.”

We live in a fast food, microwave generation of instant gratification.  When we want something to happen and it doesn’t instantly, we tend to lose hope and walk away dejected and brokenhearted.  Sometimes God choses to work like a crockpot. He throws a lot of things together and lets them cook slowly to bring about the desired results.  If we walk away too quickly, we may miss the masterpiece He creates.

Romans 5:5 says,

And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out His love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom He has given us.”

If Jesus is our hope and hope does not disappoint, then Jesus does not disappoint us.  Friends, I know the waiting game isn’t a game we all run to sign up for; however, some of the best things in life take time.

Take a moment today and list some of the blessings in life that took time to gain.  I’ll get you started by sharing a few things from my own list.

  1. Finding the man of my dreams (It took 24 years).
  2. Having a baby (It took 9 months).
  3. Getting my education (It took 5 years for my undergraduate and master’s).
  4. Writing my first book (It took 2 ½ years from the first interview to publication).

Now it’s your turn.  List the many things you’ve been blessed with that took time.  What are you hoping for today?  Jesus has good things planned for you [Jeremiah 29:11]. You can trust Him with your hopes and dreams.  He’s always worth the wait.