Overflowing With Hope

I know I’ve said this before, but I don’t take standing here and sharing what God has placed on my heart lightly. I truly believe there is a timely purpose in everything He gives me to say. And I want you to know that I don’t just bring these words to you, I first let them sink deep into my own heart and spirit. I ask God to show me what I need to see in myself, to correct me, to strengthen me, and to shape me through the very same message. Because before I can pour it out, I want to be sure I’ve let Him pour it in. 

So with that said, I'd like to ask you a question....Now, you don’t have to answer me out loud......just let it be a conversation between you and God: Are you overflowing with hope?

Did you know that hopelessness is actually a heart condition? Psalm 27:13 in the NKJV says, “I would have lost heart, unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.”

When we lose heart, we lose hope. The enemy knows this and that’s why he works so hard to attack our hearts. His strategy is layered and designed to wear us down until we finally give up. Because once we give up, hopelessness takes root, and hopelessness is a dangerous place to live.

Too many of us have quietly lost heart. Some of us don't even realize that you lost heart years ago. You’ve stopped showing up for the fight. You no longer march onto the battlefield; instead, you sit in the chair of sorrow. You let the weight of lack......lack of change, lack of answers, lack of healing, lack of resolution, lack of improvement......fill your hearts with disappointment, despair, and discouragement. And if you’re not careful, all of that will steal your hope.

But David shows us the key. He said: “Unless I had believed…” That word unless is powerful. It means that belief is the dividing line between hope and hopelessness. 

We lose hope when we stop believing.

Maybe disappointment has numbed your faith. Maybe the wait has worn you down. But hear me......God not only protects your heart, He can strengthen it.

We want Him to do that, but let’s be honest.....we don’t always like the way He chooses to do it, do we?  

He strengthens us by teaching us to wait.

We live in an instant-gratification culture. We want that sudden encounter, that quick fix, that overnight breakthrough. But David reminds us that true strength comes in the waiting.

Waiting stretches us. Waiting can weary us. But waiting also conditions our heart. Think about it.....how do you grow stronger physically? You lift weights. So how does your heart grow stronger spiritually? WAIT TRAINING.

Those who wait....not those who get restless, not those who rush ahead, not those who try to take control or force a way....but those who wait on the Lord renew their strength.

We have a choice: waiting can either wear us out…or it can make us stronger.

Psalm 27:14 declares: “Wait on the Lord; Be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart; Wait, I say, on the Lord.”

Now, I have a whole list of Scriptures that go even deeper into this truth. I don’t have the time tonight to read every one of them, but I didn’t want you to miss them either. So, I printed them out for you to take home. I encourage you to sit with them this week, pray through them, and let the Word of God strengthen your heart in the waiting. 

**(Readers, I will add them to the bottom of this blog post). 

So tonight, I’m encouraging you: Believe again. Believe more. Believe.... in spite of what you’re seeing. Believe through the wait, even if it’s been years since you've been waiting. Believe through the hard season. Let the waiting strengthen your heart instead of stealing your hope.

Because hopelessness grows in the soil of unbelief. But faith says, “I believe, Lord......help my unbelief!” Don’t let unbelief rob you of your hope. Hope is the anchor of your soul, and hope, my friend.....is the fuel for your praise.

Hope is a heart condition, and in the waiting, disappointment, and challenges of life, it’s easy for our hearts to grow weary.

These Scriptures are here to help you reflect on God’s promises, pray through them, and let Him strengthen your heart from the inside out.

Don’t let unbelief steal your hope - study them, declare them, and let God use them to renew your courage, build your faith, and ignite your hope in the waiting.

1 Chronicles 16:34

Psalm 13:5-6

Psalm 23:6

Psalm 30:5

Psalm 34:4-8

Psalm 73:1-5

Psalm 100:5

Psalm 106:1

Psalm 107:1

Psalm 118:6-8

Isaiah 54:17

Romans 8:24-28

2 Corinthians 4:16-18