By Judy Villanueva
Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you will abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. (Romans 15:13)
When was the last time you stood on your tiptoes? How long has it been since you were filled with stretched-out anticipation at seeing wonder just the other side of eye-level? Abounding hope. Not meager or malnourished, but explosive, Spirit-empowered belief in things unseen! We see in children an unspoiled capacity to be awed, and a readiness to stand up tall and watch for magical moments. Bubbles and balloons, clouds and caterpillars, flashlights and fairy tales easily capture young imaginations with delight and grant a blessed sense that the world is good. But growing up can threaten our tiptoe potential and weigh us down with harsh realities that want to crush our joy and energy to believe. What do we do when we’ve lost our capacity to hope?
Jesus said that in this life we will have trouble and the reality is that disappointments, losses, and unexpected turns can suck the hope right out of us! If we are not careful, we may find that we’ve traded in our beautiful dreams for a life resigned to unmet expectations. You might be worn out or too discouraged to hope, but consider that
without the stirrings of believing beyond what we see, the colors drain out of our imaginations and life becomes a flat-footed trudge to the finish line.
If you relate to this at all, I implore you to fight…fight hard and look up!
God wants to capture our imaginations and reclaim our hopes! At His side, we can learn to look at our lives with Him and find our way back onto our tiptoes. He becomes our joy and peace in believing and, as we figure out how to want and enjoy Him, our hearts get rooted in hope’s best soil! Here, hope is set free with refreshed vigor! We can hope because our God is a hoper!
He hoped beyond our sin to the cross, past death to a resurrection, and He continues to hope us into His kingdom, redeemed.
God stands on tiptoes…hoping for us!
“Lord, I used to be a good hoper and I confess that life has made me careful in my hoping. But, I’m not ready to give up dreaming with You and believing You for wonders and magical moments. Teach me again to hope…cuz I know I could stand on tiptoes next to You! Amen.”
What about you?
Are you a hoper?
Do you experience the blessings of joy and peace in believing?
Has life made you reluctant to hope in God?
Are you learning to want and enjoy God?
“Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you will abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”
Click here to buy Listening for Love Kindle Edition
Worship:
Needed to be refreshed by that again!!!! My favorite scripture!!!! Love you
Beautiful message….I’ve looked at the wonders of nature since I was little, at that time it was the little things I could see that gave me such pleasure, especially the ladybug. To be able to hold this little bug was good, what a treat, but eventually the ladybug would fly away; but I had my moment with it. I feel the same way when I see the beauty of nature, but my favorite is the ocean. I never get tired of sitting, looking and listening to the ocean. For me, the ocean shows God’s massive energy. I sit on my beach chair, and marvel at everything going on right in front of me, and I use all my senses to experience God’s gift to us. Seeing the beauty, listening to the gentle and roar of the waves, the scent . I still am lucky to touch the water with my feet. I have to say I don’t taste the water anymore since I don’t go in that far……..I experience God closeness every time I go to the Ocean. I don’t take His creations for granted, and am thankful that I can still experience all with my senses.
I notice that my faith is really”Faith”! You have helped me and guided me to realizing what faith really is. I used to stand on my tiptoes all the time but i notice that my walk in faith is more of a stride than a stumble. Oh those hopes ands dreams…many have come true and then failed or disappeared. In the past i struggled struggled struggled. Now i live my life day by day and if a hope isn’t being met or a dream isn’t being realized i don’t give up. I know it will happen in Gods time not mine or it may not because it is not meant to be in Gods vision for me. All i know is that Jesus is holding my hands at all times…good or bad. I am growing everyday and i give thanks to Our Father no matter what..if I’m sad i hear a thought in my head that i now know is Jesus talking to me and i know that all will be well no matter what the outcome. I notice that i am listening. I find comfort in that in every situation. I still stand on my tiptoes and no matter what i see even if i don’t understand it i don’t question it i just know that what i see is Gods glory for me.
Love u so much my dear cousin
Have a blessed day??
Thank you so much for this today Judy I so needed this as I am hope challenged a good part of the time, but so grateful for Gods never ending pursuit reminding me my Hope is in him alone . Love u