Hebrews 11:1 says; now faith is the substance of things HOPED FOR. I have been thinking about this scripture over the weekend after reading several emails from partners who have seemingly lost hope in what they believed God for.
According to this scripture, faith must have something to give substance to…it must have hope. If you have lost your hope today, it is time to ask God to restore it and to stay in the word and in prayer until you see that you have hope again. This will enable your faith to have something to manifest or give substance to.
I have been where these partners are, I understand fighting to keep hope alive – but I also know it is possible to remain filled with hope in God when things are at their worst.
I read a news article this week about a woman whose family was affected by tornados last year. She and her husband were hurt badly, he was in one hospital and she was in another. They had two sons, small boys, I don’t remember the ages but they were around five and seven I think. They both died in the tornados. They lost both boys in a blink of an eye. I was profoundly touched by her statement; she said ‘watch and see what my God can overcome.’ I was amazed at her faith, her hope and her steadfastness in the midst of terrible tragedy.
She wasn’t saying ‘why did God let this happen?’ She was deeply hurt and grieving for her boys but her hope in God stood strong in the midst of it.
That is the kind of hope the Bible talks about when it says Abraham hoped against hope. Abraham knew there was no natural hope; therefore he latched on to the hope God offers – the God kind of hope. The hope that does not disappoint, according to the word of God. This is not an ‘I hope/ wish it would happen’. No, this is a steadfast ‘my hope is in God and I won’t let go of it, hope.’
This is the kind of hope we see in Zechariah 9:12; Return to the stronghold, you prisoners of hope. Even this day I declare I will restore double to you. This is a hope so strong that they have become a prisoner of it, they don’t just have hope, and hope now has them.
Psalm 42 tells us when David was at a low point, he told himself three different times in one chapter; HOPE IN GOD. Hope in God. Hope in God. This is what we have to tell ourselves when we are going through dark and hard times. We have to do like David did and talk to ourselves and say ‘what is wrong with you? You know who you serve! He will not fail you. You may not understand but hope in God. Hope in God. Keep hoping in God.’
In a few chapters down, chapter 71 he says ‘I will hope continually.’ Praise God, he talked to himself and it worked and now he is back in position of hoping continually.
Friend, I don’t know where you find yourself today, but if you have lost hope, or if your hope is not as strong as it used to be, stir yourself up today. Declare that you hope continually. Talk to yourself and tell yourself to hope in God. God will not fail you.
In Zechariah it says ‘those who are prisoners of hope will receive DOUBLE.’ I am claiming that promise for myself today. I am a prisoner of hope, I have a God hope and that hope has me in its clutches, I will not stop hoping in God and I declare I will have double today, how about you?
