July 24th, 2024
by George Davis
by George Davis
Hope.
A tiny word that defines something that, if lost, has an enormous effect on one's life. One translation of Proverbs 13.12 says, "Hope deferred makes the heart sick." Another translates the same verse: "When hope's dream seems to drag on and on, the delay can be depressing."
In talking with a close friend yesterday, I realized that I have a good case of deferred hope. Like only treating the painful symptoms when a broken leg needs to be fixed, hope deferred is not just healed by rest or by singing "Lions and Tigers and Bears, Oh My" with a few friends while you all try to run faster on the yellow brick road. Receiving faith for the journey comes through hearing the living word of God.
The remedy takes time to untie the knotted thinking and emotions produced by deferred dreams, especially your first time (or maybe 100 times through). So, steady reconnecting with God on the particulars of a situation, gaining His perspective, recalibrating where and on what your faith needs to be based, allowing Him to reveal the season you are in, and stoking the fires of intercession will eventually sort you out.
I'm asking myself today, what am I basing my faith on, what do I genuinely love, and where will I place all my hope? To borrow the words of a Cody Carnes song: "My heart needs a surgeon, my soul needs a friend, so I run to the Father, again and again.
When a good and trusted friend points out that you may have deferred hope sickness, don't throw it off. Drop the should and the ought, self-comforting, or pulling yourself up by your bootstraps. Just run to the Father and talk about it. Have many talks without shame. After all, He is the lover of your hope-deferred, tired soul. He will gently restore you to right thinking and acting. He is very good that way.
A tiny word that defines something that, if lost, has an enormous effect on one's life. One translation of Proverbs 13.12 says, "Hope deferred makes the heart sick." Another translates the same verse: "When hope's dream seems to drag on and on, the delay can be depressing."
In talking with a close friend yesterday, I realized that I have a good case of deferred hope. Like only treating the painful symptoms when a broken leg needs to be fixed, hope deferred is not just healed by rest or by singing "Lions and Tigers and Bears, Oh My" with a few friends while you all try to run faster on the yellow brick road. Receiving faith for the journey comes through hearing the living word of God.
The remedy takes time to untie the knotted thinking and emotions produced by deferred dreams, especially your first time (or maybe 100 times through). So, steady reconnecting with God on the particulars of a situation, gaining His perspective, recalibrating where and on what your faith needs to be based, allowing Him to reveal the season you are in, and stoking the fires of intercession will eventually sort you out.
I'm asking myself today, what am I basing my faith on, what do I genuinely love, and where will I place all my hope? To borrow the words of a Cody Carnes song: "My heart needs a surgeon, my soul needs a friend, so I run to the Father, again and again.
When a good and trusted friend points out that you may have deferred hope sickness, don't throw it off. Drop the should and the ought, self-comforting, or pulling yourself up by your bootstraps. Just run to the Father and talk about it. Have many talks without shame. After all, He is the lover of your hope-deferred, tired soul. He will gently restore you to right thinking and acting. He is very good that way.
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2 Comments
Well said Pastor George. But don't beat yourself up. Sometimes it's an "all-in" effort that's needed and while we may be 100, others are only willing to come up to 90. That ten percent really can make a difference in the grand scheme of things. But God knows our hearts. Thankfully He will reward us accordingly.
nGod bless you,
nRB
Thanks for sharing. I love that song. Our Father is always listening and waiting for us to bring him our needs. He already knows but loves the relationship with us. As a parent of middle aged children, I am always here and ready if they need me for anything! He cherishes our asking, as I do when my children ask.