The Captivating Woman

Designed with purpose.

Hope: Lamentations 3:21-23

Yet this I call to mind
    and therefore I have hope:

Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed,
    for his compassions never fail.
They are new every morning;
    great is your faithfulness.

Lamentations 3:21-23

A few weeks ago, Holy Yoga, a Christian yoga organization, posted this caption on Instagram:

 “Do you know there are two types of hope, and each are incredibly different? There is “worldly hope”, the kind of heart and mind that says, “I hope this works out”, or “I hope He comes through”. And then there is “Biblical hope”, the kind of hope found throughout God’s Word that calls the believer to steadfast and unwavering faith in God and His promises. This is the hope that says, ‘I know in whom my hope lies and I know He is coming through for me.'”

Yes! I love this because it’s so true and it’s so important to have these distinct definitions. The way we talk about hope is often more about wishing. It expresses our feelings about something, not the reality of what actually is. This is not the type of hope God offers us!

When we talk about putting our hope in God, we’re not talking about wishing He’ll come through for us, we’re talking about knowing that he will. And how do we know? There’s a quote that I love from Thomas Smail about Jesus praying in the Garden of Gethsemane before his crucifixion. He says, “The Father that Jesus address in the garden is the one that he has known all his life and found to be bountiful in his provision, reliable in his promises and utterly faithful in his love. He can obey the will that sends him to the cross, with hope and expectation because it is the will of Abba whose love has been so proved that it can now be trusted so fully by being obeyed so completely. This is not legal obedience driven by commandment, but trusting response to known love.”

Similarly, the hope we have in God is a “response to known love”.

It’s a response to his faithfulness. I mess up a lot. But I can put my hope in God because time and time again I have seen him not give up on me, and love me and use me anyway. I can start to trust Him because His love is something proven, it’s something known. He is faithful, even when we are not.

Notice that God’s proven love doesn’t lead to a plan with no suffering in it; for Jesus, it lead to the cross. Suffering doesn’t negate God’s goodness. But because we have seen God’s goodness in the past, we can have confidence (i.e. hope!) that His plan will ultimately be for good. God is utterly faithful.

The other day I was blindsided by some difficult bible verses which made me question things. Suddenly, I lost hope. But this quote by Elisabeth Elliot came up; “Of one thing I am perfectly sure: God’s story never ends with ‘ashes.’” We may not know what the future looks like, but we can know the God in charge of it and He doesn’t do ending with ashes.

Let’s practice gratitude (even if we aren’t very good at it). If we don’t remind ourselves of God’s love and faithfulness, we can easily forget that that we’ve even experienced them. And without this certainty of God’s character, our hope can grow thin. If it already has, then remember Romans 5:8 – God loved us so much while we were still sinners that he died for us.

Are we putting our hope in stuff other than God, wishing for it to give us what we need, instead of putting our hope in God, knowing He will come through?

Hope: Isaiah 40:31

“… but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grown weary, they will walk and not be faint.”
Isaiah 40:31

Have you ever gotten super discouraged during the holiday season? Well, if you said yes then I’d tell you, I’m right there with ya girl!

The holidays, especially the advent season, can be exhausting. School, work, kids, presents, decorations, Christmas parties, cooking, baking, family, church events, and volunteering are just a few of the things that set us over the edge during what is supposed to be the most joyous season of the year!

Amidst this discouragement however, have you ever felt beyond that? Have you ever felt hopeless?

I know, I know, hopeless? During the holiday season?! That’s blasphemy to say but I’ll be the first person to tell you that yes, indeed, I have felt completely hopeless during the holiday season.

In the middle of the hustle and bustle I cant help but worry about this and freak out about that. I get discouraged when plans get changed and anxious and uncomfortable when parties last longer than they should. I begin to feel inadequate and, eventually, the hopelessness creeps in.

Slowly, but surely, the dread begins to take over and I find myself praying the season would fly by. And how crazy is that?! God doesn’t want us wishing His Sons birthday away! Yet, I always find my self doing it! And this is exactly WHY God sent us his Son in the first place.

God knew that we would become hopeless.

He knew, long before our DNA was created, that we, His perfect creation would become hopeless. We have sin to blame for that, but God solved this problem with one major Band-Aid, the cross.

In fact, Isaiah 40:31 is a beautiful image of what this hope looks like!

“… but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grown weary, they will walk and not be faint.” 

Did you hear that?

God RENEWS the strength for all that HOPE in HIM!

God sent His son to defeat death & evil, the only true hopelessness in this world. Jesus beat the grave and rose again to assure us of our HOPE in Him and in God’s Kingdom.

So, I challenge you to ask yourself this during the holiday season:

Am I putting my hope in myself or am I putting my hope in the person who saved me, defeated death, and connected me with our Father in Heaven?

If you answered yourself than take a moment to read through this verse and the others I have listed below. It’s human nature to get caught up in ourselves but, when we take the time to hand it over to our King, you can be surprised at how much more joyous our lives, and our holiday season, can become.

Let’s give this Advent season over God and honor His perfect Son, the one who gives us our hope, Jesus!

Check out these other verses:

  • Psalm 34:17-20
  • Jeremiah 29:11
  • Philippians 4:6-7
  • James 5:13
  • Revelation 21:4

 

Hope: Psalm 130:5

“I wait for the Lord, my whole being waits, and in his word I put my hope.”
Psalm 130:5

When we hear the word advent, what comes to mind?

One word that is always associated with advent is coming.

For the church, it’s a season observed as a time of waiting and preparation for the celebration of the birth or coming of Jesus.

When I was a child, I always looked forward to celebrating Christmas. In my young and innocent heart, there’s something in this season that made me feel hopeful. At that time, I didn’t have world-changing wishes or hopes.

I had a simple one: that my Dad would come home and spend that special day with us.

It was a time of the year that I had always waited for excitedly. It was a season of hope for me. Every year, I would wait and expect that this could be the time, but it didn’t happen until two years ago. I was already an adult.

Still, my long wait was over! My hope was finally realized.

I wonder what the shepherds on the night of the first Christmas must have felt when the Good News was announced to them, by no less than a throng of angels! History tells us that at the time, the nation of Israel was under the rule of the Roman Empire. The Israelites had been waiting for the time of their deliverance; anticipating the coming of the Messiah.

Imagine the joy and hope that this good news brought to the shepherds! The long wait was over!

A Savior, their Savior was born! In the darkest days of their history, the brightest message of hope shone like that of the star that guided and led them to the manger.

Waiting is not easy, especially when what you’re waiting for is taking too long to come.

The psalmist in Psalm 130:5-6 said:

“I wait for the Lord, my whole being waits, and in his word I put my hope. I wait for the Lord more than watchmen wait for the morning, more than watchmen wait for the morning.”

He must have felt weary sometimes, but he didn’t give up. What did he do, instead?

  1. He put his hope/”hoped” in God’s word, knowing that He who promised is faithful that the Lord will come and will deliver His people.
  2. He “hoped” whole-heartedly. His mind, strength and heart were focused on Him. His whole being waited on the Lord.
  3. He “hoped” expectantly. Like the watchmen waiting for the morning because they believed that morning would indeed come. The psalmist was hopeful that the Lord would redeem His people.

Maybe you are waiting for something or even someone and you have been in that situation for a long time now.

Remain hopeful.

As Jesus came on that cold and dreary night, which brought a message of hope and salvation to the shepherds and the world, that someone or something that you’ve been waiting for is coming. The long wait will soon be over and your hope will be realized.

Hope: Isaiah 9:2-7

The people walking in darkness
    have seen a great light;
on those living in the land of deep darkness
    a light has dawned.
You have enlarged the nation
    and increased their joy;
they rejoice before you
    as people rejoice at the harvest,
as warriors rejoice
    when dividing the plunder.
For as in the day of Midian’s defeat,
    you have shattered
the yoke that burdens them,
    the bar across their shoulders,
    the rod of their oppressor.
Every warrior’s boot used in battle
    and every garment rolled in blood
will be destined for burning,
    will be fuel for the fire.

 For to us a child is born,
    to us a son is given,
    and the government will be on his shoulders.
And he will be called
    Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
    Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
Of the greatness of his government and peace
    there will be no end.
He will reign on David’s throne
    and over his kingdom,
establishing and upholding it
    with justice and righteousness
    from that time on and forever.
The zeal of the Lord Almighty
    will accomplish this.
Isaiah 9: 2-7

In times like this, when politics inside and outside the church are turbulent, when leaders don’t seem like people we can trust, when elections and referendums divide nations against themselves, when we’re involved in war, when conflict splinters apart leadership structures, when riots and revolutions take place, when we find ourselves in conflict with our neighbours over how we voted, it can be easy to get caught up in it all. It can be easy to give in to anger and bitterness, and to fear over what will happen and what the future will look like. It can be easy to lose hope.

But here’s the thing.

We live in the hope of the ‘now and not yet’.

Our reading today talks about both. The ‘not yet’ hope is the knowledge that things will not always be like this. Isaiah’s prophecy speaks of God’s promise that Jesus will one day reign over a kingdom of justice, joy, freedom and peace; the things used in battle will be burnt up, no longer needed. While things may look very different today, we have the sure hope of a better future.

But we don’t just have hope for the future.

There’s also a ‘now’ hope.

Isaiah’s prophecy doesn’t just look to Jesus’ return, it looks to Jesus’ birth and life (700 years in the future for Isaiah). Jesus healed the sick, set people free, and provided for people. The Holy Spirit is at work right now doing the same. Our God is able to miraculously intervene – and we should expect and pray that He will. However, He doesn’t always do so.

Our ‘now’ hope includes this possibility of divine provision and protection, but it doesn’t depend on it. While God does have His hand on our lives, on countries and churches, it is also true that things don’t always seem to work out perfectly. (Though, for the record, let me say that God uses these things for His glory despite and through the brokenness).

Our hope is not in what Jesus can do for us, it is in Jesus himself; He is the prize and the destination.

When we turn our eyes upon Jesus and seek him, our situation may not change, our politicians may not reform and our governments may not make good and godly decisions, but we will have an unshakeable and certain hope. Let us remember that, while it is good to take all this other stuff seriously because it is important, putting our hope in it can lead to disappointment and fear, allowing it to become all-consuming can prevent us loving our neighbours who have different opinions.

This season of advent, as we prepare our hearts for Jesus, are there areas of worry and fear which we need to trust God with? Are there people we need to forgive and love, no matter what we think of their stance on something?

Take heart, dear one, we have unshakeable hope in Jesus despite the world, the relationships, the health statuses which rock around us.

He is sufficient.

He is more than enough.

Sometimes turning your eyes to Jesus might be a you-can-barely-turn-your-head-you’re-so-hurt-or-angry or a running-full-tilt-at-him but, no matter how small the step, know that as you look to Him, He meets you with deep love and sees the deep places of your heart.

Let us seek Him for who He is today.

Hope: Luke 19:28-40; 1 Peter 1:3-5

“After Jesus had said this, he went on ahead, going up to Jerusalem. As he approached Bethphage and Bethany at the hill called the Mount of Olives, he sent two of his disciples, saying to them, “Go to the village ahead of you, and as you enter it, you will find a colt tied there, which no one has ever ridden. Untie it and bring it here. If anyone asks you, ‘Why are you untying it?’ say, ‘The Lord needs it.’” Those who were sent ahead went and found it just as he had told them. As they were untying the colt, its owners asked them, “Why are you untying the colt?” They replied, “The Lord needs it.”They brought it to Jesus, threw their cloaks on the colt and put Jesus on it. As he went along, people spread their cloaks on the road. When he came near the place where the road goes down the Mount of Olives,the whole crowd of disciples began joyfully to praise God in loud voices for all the miracles they had seen: “Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord!” “Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!” Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to Jesus, “Teacher, rebuke your disciples!” “I tell you,” he replied, “if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out.”
Luke 19:28-40

“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time.”
 1 Peter 1:3-5

As we prepare our hearts for this Advent season, now is as good as time as any to allow Jesus to shine areas in our lives that He wants to come in and change.

The word Advent means coming or the arrival of something that has been expected.

There is something that we have all waited for, the list could be endless. As I begin to think of the endless list I am brought to a simple yet profound thought.  What has the Lord been waiting for from me?

Take sometime to think about it, but don’t be hard on yourself.

There could be one thing that comes to mind or there could be many. The purpose behind this question is for us to see areas that Jesus wants to come in and heal, redeem and restore to His plan and purpose in our lives. There can be areas that He was been waiting for from us to surrender and lay down to Him. This simple action will stir in your heart the soil needed to start the work that the Lord is wanting to do during this season.

In this we can find hope.

A deep hope rooted in Jesus Christ.

Hope, as is written in Hebrews 6:19, is a sure and steadfast anchor for our souls. Hope is something that we can rest in. Hope is a much more than a feeling. It’s change of heart and of mind. It’s a charge for us to believe that our King is who He says He is.

In Luke, we find the story of Jesus entering Jerusalem. This was His “triumphal entry”.  The event that everyone had been waiting for is finally here. Passover is about to begin and all of Jerusalem is preparing themselves for it and what does Jesus do? He enters on a donkey.  He enters Jerusalem in the most unlikely way.

This is a perfect picture of what Jesus does in most our lives though.

He enters in the most unlikely ways. He comes in a spectacular ways with a triumphant explosion of love and wonder and other times He enters gently and softly wanting to simply pour out the splendor of His goodness and love on us.

Our hope should never move from this. Jesus wants to come in and ravish us with who He is. He wants to give us what He purchased on the cross. We have a living hope in Christ Jesus that allows us access to Jesus and all that God has for us.  Through the death and resurrection of Christ, we have access to a multitude of blessings that cannot be taken from us. We have access to a Kingdom that will never end, with an inheritance that will never be defiled and that cannot perish.

In this season of preparing our hearts for the coming of the Lord, we must take the time to see where we have let hope fade. In this time we must allow ourselves to fall back into the arms of our loving Father, back in the arms of hope, back into the arms of love.