Finding Hope

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace, as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. Romans 15:13 (NIV)

When years pass and still no answer to one of our deepest desires it is hard to believe it will ever happen. As we stay close to our Father though prayer and studying in his word, he always finds a way to fill our hearts with hope. Verses such as Matthew 19:26 come to mind, With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible. Do we really believe this? All things are possible?

It can be difficult for me to have hope in certain areas, simply because I have tried to grasp the fact that it may not be God's will. That very well may be, but I also need to remember and believe that with out a shadow of a doubt, He is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us. Ephesians 3:20. (NIV)

As woman we seem to be very familiar to worry and doubt. And that can make it difficult to find the healthy balance of praying about something and yet not allowing it to consume our every thought, therefore leading to worry. If we are truly seeking God he will fill us with hope and take away our worry. In Romans 15:4 Paul says, for everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that though endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope. (NIV) God has equipped us with so much more than we may realize. The Bible is packed full of stories of impossible situations being made possible through God, David and Goliath, Abraham and Sarah, and Daniel. The word of God can tend to be overlooked in even our Christian society at times. Our lives are so busy in the world we live in today and it can be hard to find time to study God's Word and truly meditate on it. However that is exactly what it is for, it is to be our fuel to get though the day.

I know in my life, if God is not number one on my list of priorities, those prayer requests that have been prayed year after year, seem hopeless. I rely on my human strength to handle broken dreams and as I am sure you can relate, it does not work well. Only God can overflow our hearts with hope, and I am willing to bet he sure does want to. Today dig deep into the Bible and reflect on every word you read, and may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace, as you trust in him.

Father, thank you for always being there to fill my heart with hope, thank you for every word you have meticulously placed in the Bible. Help me to never over look them in this busy world and to always put you first.

Sarah Hostetler