I’ve been thinking about hope and then these verses showed up later in the day. According to the word of God, you’ll need to go through suffering to produce endurance which produces character and finally hope. Holy Spirit, I don’t like this process of becoming a hopeful person. 😕
However as I look back in following Jesus for the past nine years, my character have grown tremendously for the better. My mom said once that I became a completely different person. I think I’m a more enduring and hopeful person too. Endurance and hope is so important to have to start a new venture and especially to keep on doing the work God has called you to do, day in day out.
I don’t really talk about this with others because I don’t think it helps me or the hearers, but it’s still difficult to live with a nonbeliever spouse. After nine years you’d think it’d get easier. On the plus side, I’ve learned to be content in my circumstances, depend more on Jesus, be sensitive to the Holy Spirit, submit very well to authority, go to the Bible daily for my faith and encouragement, and learn how to be humble. Lately I’ve been learning how to speak up for my faith and any hurts without rising in anger or unforgiveness, and letting the topic go after. All good character skills to have especially as I’m getting more involved with the secular world through the PTO board.
It’s been nine years praying for my husband and children to get saved and my prayers have gotten a little stale and routine for them. The enemy uses this information to discourage me from intercessory prayer too. But I’ve learned to tune out his lies now. So I’ve become a more hopeful and believing person to keep on praying for others when my very first prayer hasn’t been answered yet. I also thank the Holy Spirit that prayer partners come along who can pray for my family with new freshness and passion for me. Thank you Holy Spirit.
I love the next line of the Bible verse that says our hope does not put us to shame, because God’s Love has been poured into our hearts. My hope placed upon God will not disappoint me. Martin Luther wrote, “I have held many things in my hands, and I have lost them all; but whatever I have placed in God’s hands, that I still possess.”
When I came back to God I had many things in my arms with a loaded backpack, luggages and loaded up wagon cart on wheels too. 😂 It’s been very hard to give up these things, and especially my control and rights. That’s where hope is vitally needed. As the Bible verse says, God’s Love is poured out into our hearts and this process changes my heart of stone into a heart of flesh…just like Ezekiel prophesied.
I look forward to the day when I can have a testimony to share with others that my hope was not put to shame. Until that day comes, I’ll continue to have hope and allow God’s love to be poured out into my heart! ❤️
Journal of Faith 