Living with Hope

"Delight yourself in the LORD

and he will give you the desires of your heart.

Commit your way to the LORD;

trust in him and he will do this:

He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn,

the justice of your cause like the noonday sun.

Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him;

do not fret when men succeed in their ways,

when they carry out their wicked schemes. . .

those who hope in the LORD will inherit the land."

Psalm 37:4-9

I think we can all agree that life is hard.  Tragedies hit out of nowhere.  Illness strikes when I least expect it.  Loved ones are ripped out of this life before I get a chance to say, "good-bye."  Pain and suffering is all around me.  Life is hard.

If it wasn't for the hope of eternity with Jesus, it would be impossible to endure.  Thankfully, I can look forward to the time when, "He will wipe every tear from their eyes.  There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away." (Revelation 21:4)  Now that's something to which I can look forward!

It reminds me of the time our family planned a trip to Disney World.  For months we saved funds and made plans.  Our daughters saved spending money from what they earned dog walking and babysitting.  We studied the Disney website and literature designed to familiarize ourselves with the parks and decide which attractions we really wanted to see.  Excitement began to build and the mundane difficulties of our day-to-day lives faded in light of the anticipation of our upcoming trip.  

In the same way, I am able to endure the difficulties of life in light of the anticipation of my upcoming residency in a place with no struggles, no pain and no suffering.   Heaven gives me hope.  But I must continue living here where God has placed me.  I cannot live with my head in the clouds, creating my own reality where I ignore what's going on around me.  I'm here for a purpose.

Thankfully, God has given me some guidance in how to live for Him while I wait for the time when I will live with Him!

Delight

When I think of the meaning of the word "delight,"  I think of my dogs.  They exhibit a high degree of exuberance and joy upon my return from an outing.  It doesn't matter if I've only been gone for an hour, they greet me with great pleasure and enthusiasm.  Their tails wag intensely as their tongues loll out of their mouths and their eyes shine with excitement.  They absolutely delight in my presence!

Apart from sprouting a tail and learning to drool like a dog, how can I delight in the LORD?  One way is to enjoy and revel in the study of His Word.   God teaches that the blessed man is one who finds that, "his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night." (Psalm 1:4)  

I can either read the Bible daily and check that off my things-to-do list, or I can conduct an intense study of His Word, examining references and looking up the meaning of the terms.  I can apply it to my life, meditating on what I learned throughout the day, asking God to show me the lesson found there.  The Bible is more than just a book of advice, it is, "living and active.  Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart."  (Hebrews 4:12)

As I delight in Him, He will change my priorities and list of requirements needed to live.  Oswald Chamber wrote in My Utmost for His Highest that my life itself is the, ". . . essential thing. . . wherever you may go, even if it is into hell, you will come out with your life, nothing can harm it.  So many of us are caught up in the show of things, not in the way of property and possessions, but of blessings.  All these have to go; but there is something grander that never can go--the life that is 'hid with Christ in God.'"  

All I really need is God, and as I delight in Him, He will change the desires of my heart to line up with that truth.  

Commit

My husband and I have been married for 23 years.  We made a pledge before God, obligating ourselves to the marriage.  Because of this commitment, we have stayed together despite disagreements, hurt feelings or times when affection was lacking.  This kind of vow takes a confidence in the integrity of the institution of marriage despite what I see, hear or feel.  My sense of obligation keeps me rooted to the relationship.  

In the same way, I have a relationship with God through faith in Jesus, but entrusting my plans to God takes faith.  Faith involves taking a step into the darkness without knowing whether or not there will be something solid to hold my weight.  Faith, however, know the One in whom I place my trust is faithful to guide and provide.  As Oswald Chambers said, "Faith never knows where it is being led, but it loves and knows the One who is leading."

Committing my way to the LORD means entrusting every part of my life to Him, letting Him have  His way.  But perhaps 19th Century Evangelist Dwight L. Moody said it best.  "The sweetest lesson I have learned in God's school is to let the Lord choose for me."  Trusting God doesn't mean I can make my plans and then ask Him to bless them, but rather to hand the reigns over to Him.

If I can make the same commitment to God as I did to my husband, unconditionally trusting Him, He has promised to make me able to stand in the sun without guilt or shame.  The blood of Jesus covers my sin when I commit my life to Him and accept Him as my personal Savior.  In so doing, I become innocent in God's eyes, relieving me of the burden of past, present and future sins.  


Making Jesus Lord of my life means letting Him have His way.  In turn, He gives me a spotless and innocent appearance before Him. 

Wait

Deals made behind closed doors.  Payment for service "under the table."  Conflicts of interest. Improper handling of tax payer funds.  Pilfering of finances to feed a gambling addiction.  Wherever I look, wicked schemes are taking place: Plots designed to benefit the planner, conspiracies thought up to further a dark plot, or a ploy intended for evil.  There's no doubt that immorality flourishes in this fallen world.

Even so, no sin goes unpunished.  Either Jesus has already paid the price for the sins of His followers, or the unrepentant sinner will face the consequences of eternal death.  Justice will be served.

In the meantime, I am called to quietly and untiringly wait for God to act.  He reminds me in Deuteronomy 32:35 that, "It is mine to avenge; I will repay.  In due time their foot will slip; their day of disaster is near and their doom rushes upon them."   I can trust God to punish evil, both now and in eternity.

Until then, the Apostle Paul gave some advice in Romans 12:17-20.  "Do not repay anyone evil for evil.  If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.  Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God's wrath. . . On the contrary, 'If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink.  In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.'"

While I wait on God to enact justice on those who do me wrong, it is up to me to treat them with the same respect I would show to a friend.

This world is a difficult place in which to live, but as I wait to enter my eternal home, I have been given a plan.  I can take great delight in God,  make a commitment to Him and wait patiently for Him to act.  In this way I will glorify God with my life as I receive a new outlook, a clean countenance and the assurance of true justice for the wickedness going on around me.  

As I begin this day it is my prayer that I can let go of all my expectations for my life and let God choose the way He wants me to go.

When do I try to take matters into my own hands, robbing God of the chance to enact His justice.

How can I love and treasure God above all other things? 

Know Him

" ' For I know the plans I have for you,' declares the LORD, 'plans to prosper you and not to harm you,

plans to give you hope and a future.

Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me,

and I will listen to you.

You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.' "

Jeremiah 29:11-13

I accepted Christ as my Savior at the age of 12.  For the next 15 years, not much changed in my life.  Don't get me wrong, I went to church every Sunday where I learned what it meant to follow Jesus.  I read the Bible on a regular basis.  I prayed.  But these were all rituals. . . duties I could check off my list once finished.  These were things that were expected for a good Christian to do. Right?

It depends.  The thing about my life is that God was not a part of all these rituals.  Sure, I knew He was there and that He was the main character in this story I was learning as I read the Bible, but I didn't know Him personally, like I knew my sister, or my parents, or my friends.  He was this benevolent Being that was there, but separate from me in some way.

As I grew up, got married and began the job of raising a family of my own, my sister sent me a book called, "Experiencing God" by Henry Blackaby and Claude King.  God used that Bible study to transform my mind and teach me about walking with Him on a personal level.  I learned that God is at work all around me and it is up to me whether I'll be a part of what He's doing, or just watch as a spectator on the sidelines.  I began to choose to participate, and my life has never been the same!

Hope for the Future

The first thing I noticed was that I sensed this excitement within me as I looked for evidence of God working around me.  I was getting to know the One with the plan for my life!  His plan was to give me hope and a future.  As I went through my day, raising my four daughters who were all in diapers at the time, I sensed a meaning in the drudgery.  Being there for my triplet daughters and their older sister was a part of a plan that God had for my life! 

Knowing there is a purpose gives me hope.  It means there is a blueprint that will give rise to a magnificent structure that no man can destroy.  It means every diaper I change, every runny nose I wipe, every shoe that I tie (and retie) is a part of that plan and serves a purpose in the scheme of God's blueprint!  It is not mindless drudgery as I so easily can think.  It is vital, necessary and crucial to the plan God has for me.  As David said in Psalm 39:7, "But now Lord, what do I look for?  My hope is in you." 

Getting to know the God who has the plan for my life gives me a sense of hope for a meaningful future.

Prayers are Heard

After I committed my life to getting to know God in a more intimate way, I noticed my prayers were different.  Instead of an empty habit or practice, it became a two-way conversation.  I knew my prayers were being heard by the Almighty God, and I was sensing His presence in a whole new way.  I had always known He was there, but now it was as if He was sitting beside me and we were talking.  

Jesus described this personal way of talking to God as a relationship between a Father and son.  He said, "Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened." (Matthew 7:7-8)  He then goes to explain that as much as an earthly father gives good things to his son, our heavenly Father will give so much more to those who ask.

This is not to say that God is a vending machine, but that He is a loving Father who listens to our prayers and responds in a very real way.  David enjoyed a close relationship with God, and he put it this way.  "Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart." (Psalm 37:4)  As I grow closer to God and take pleasure in getting to know Him, He will transform my heart to be more in tune with His.  

Getting to know God opens up a whole new way to pray as I become more in sync with Him.

Seek His Will

Growing up, I could never understand my parents and why they did the things they did.  When I became a parent, I could appreciate the decisions they made as they did what was best for their children.  It never seemed quite fair as a child, but when I became familiar with the role of parenting, my perspective changed.

This transformation process takes place as I grow closer to God.  I read in Romans 12 that I can either conform to the pattern of this world, or I can choose to "be transformed by the renewing of (my) mind. Then (I) will be able to test and approve what God's will is--his good, pleasing and perfect will." (v2)

As I learn more about God and His ways, I can put those words into action, or I can let them sit on the page.  If I trust God at His Word and allow Him to change me, I will begin to recognize what He is doing all around me.  I will begin to see things with new eyes as I identify His work in the everyday things of life, and my life will take on new meaning.

Getting to know God gives me an opportunity to learn how to recognize His will for my life.  

As a Christian, I can either go through the motions, or I can go deeper.  If I choose the latter, I will discover a sense of hope for a meaningful future, a rich and fruitful prayer life, and a greater awareness of God's will for my life.  Walking with Christ is as significant as I make it.  I want to know Him today even more than I did yesterday!

As I begin this day, it is my prayer that I will seek God with all of my heart.  Then I know that I will find Him.

How do I go through the motions of what I think I should do without ever going deeper?

Am I in a relationship with a living God or a part of a religion filled with rituals and routines?