A New Hope Sample

WORLDLY HOPES

Every person has a hope list!

We hope that at a certain age, we will finish school; go to college; meet the man or woman of our dreams; have the perfect wedding; build a dream home; raise obedient, successful children; retire on an 80-foot yacht; and die peacefully in our sleep . . . (feel free to insert your hope version here). While nothing is wrong with these types of hopes and dreams, the guarantee of them coming to fruition is often beyond our control.

• You can’t make someone fall in love with you . . .
• You can’t guarantee your ability to conceive . . .
• You have no assurance against a dread disease . . .
• You can’t control all the choices your children make . . .
• You have no idea what life disaster is around the next corner . . .

So how do we hold the tension space between the desires of our hearts and the broken reality of this world we live in?

I was in my early thirties, asking God for help on this exact question.

Every New Year’s Eve, I would wonder if this were the year I would meet the man of my dreams. When I turned thirty, I sarcastically changed the question to “would this be the decade I would meet him?" Hope was starting to dwindle. I clearly remember wrestling with God on this, angrily demanding a handle of hope to hold onto as I wadded through emotions that were making my heart sick.

How do I manage the pain of hope deferred and still live a full and satisfying life? How do the emotions of disappointment and frustration not lead to bitterness and despair?

How do you manage hope deferred without becoming heartsick?

I hope to share with you what God revealed to me. To give you hope handles to hold onto when hope deferred is overwhelming you. As you journey through this reading plan, you will also discover God's plans for us that lead to a desire-filled life.

REFLECTIVE QUESTIONS:

• What areas of your life have left your hopes feeling deferred?
• How has it impacted you emotionally?
• How are you processing these unmet hopes?

PRAY:

Lord, today I bring you the desires of my heart. I pray that you will speak to me as I wrestle through these hopes, desires, and emotions. I pray that you speak your truth over me.