"Hope Deferred...

makes the heart sick..." Proverbs 13:12

This verse has rung true to me over and over again in my life; specifically lately. There are numerous scriptures in the NT that speak of the awesome HOPE we have in Jesus but I don't want to highlight those today. (maybe tomorrow) The passage I want to highlight today was the main Scripture used in a sermon I heard at a friend's church last night.

Isaiah 45:1-3
1 "This is what the LORD says to his anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I take hold of to subdue nations before him and to strip kings of their armor, to open doors before him so that gates will not be shut:
2 I will go before you and will level the mountains. I will break down gates of bronze and cut through bars of iron.
3 I will give you the treasures of darkness, riches stored in secret places, so that you may know that I am the LORD, the God of Israel, who summons you by name.

Chris, the pastor of the church, pointed out that this prophecy give to Isaiah was 17o-some odd years before it's fulfillment. Chris then asked us the question, "Why would God do that?" Why would He give this prophet a message for this particular people SO many years before it was going to happen? The word that was almost branded on my mind, so much so that I actually almost saw it on the screen covering the verses, was the word HOPE. God loves to fill us with hope. He knows that our finite minds and weary souls can only handle so much but when we are reminded of WHO we serve and what He is going to do then we can keep on keepin' on. (Southern version) We can fight the good fight. We can keep the faith. We can finish the race. (Biblical version)
God's understanding is SO VERY much bigger than our minds will ever be able to wrap around. His plans are so much more grand and awesome then we can imagine. He continually fills us with hope, with purpose, and with the power of His Holy Spirit so that we CAN win in this battle; this battle of good and evil and this battle of life.
I'm actually GLAD that God knows more than me, even when I don't understand why He does things certain ways. To quote (loosely) comedian Brad Stine, "Would you REALLY want to serve a God whose mind and understanding stopped at the same place as yours?" uh- Nope!

I pray that God will breath new life into y'all this week. I pray that our great God of peace and victory will fill you with a fresh hope and a fresh outpouring of His spirit.

Praise God for the HOPE we have in JESUS! Praise God for the hope of heaven! Praise God for the hope he gives us through His Word, prophetic words spoken to us, and through His precious Holy Spirit!

Have a blessed week! -Angela :)