DaySpring Daily Word of Inspiration: 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 grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.
When you’re feeling down, you…..?? Maybe when you get up to go to work, you….?? Perhaps you’re in the thick of pressure with finances and the burdens it can cause, so you…..?? If you’re anything like me, most of us would have answered, I just don’t want to be bothered with it. We can be ran down by the trials and problems in life if we have our focus on the problem or situation versus on the one who can handle it.
It’s obvious to say but I think we miss the point continually. We believe that God is all powerful and can work “miracles” but we don’t believe that he can work out our situations. More concerning, we believe he can give us salvation but is unwilling to give us relief from the stresses of life. Why is this so? One of the issues I think we get caught in thinking is that God is only big enough to handle the big problems and he doesn’t concern himself with our little earthly situations. This just isn’t true. We put this unneeded pressure on ourselves and it’s a burden we can’t handle nor were made to handle. Our issue shouldn’t be the problem, it should be how we approach it. As Christian believers, we are supposed to be learning and actively allowing Jesus to take over every aspect of our lives. When we hold onto to portions that we’re used to dealing with, we aren’t fully committed to trusting in God’s divine power to work out ALL of our circumstances. This in turn easily takes our focus off of our hope in God (to handle ALL things) and put it back on our own abilities. If you were weak in your circumstances before Jesus entered into your life, how much weaker do you think you’re going to be if he’s in your life – but you don’t use or put your hope in the fact that he will come through for you?
The major difference between us and God is…….EVERYTHING!!!!! We use what we think we know to handle our situations and problems. God used whatever he wants to handle our situations! Hope in ourselves is “I hope I get some money to pay this bill!” Hope in God is “I’m not even worried about these bills because God promised that if I seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, he will supply all that I need! (Matt. 6:33)” As you can see, when we’re in control, worry and stress are still very apparent and actively distorting our view of the situations. Only when God is in control does the anxiety and worry fade away and you are at peace because your truest hope is in the one you KNOW will handle it!
Hope in Christ in your life should produce exactly that; peace. There should be a renewed sense of self, a confidence in God’s promises and an easing of the cares of this world that would normally or otherwise have you in bondage to fear, worry, insecurity and anger.
We have to make decisions to make God the only hope for our lives. It’s nice to hope for things in this world but they will never provide the substance you need to be free and content with what you have, or what God has planned for you. Another freeing aspect about hope is it helps us act differently. It puts us in a humbled state because we recognize that the hope we have isn’t our own but is ours for the taking. That is a beautiful thing because it says a lot about where we could be at during any particular time of our lives.
Today we want to make sure that you’re moving forward in the hope of God and our Lord Jesus Christ. Use the barometer of your gratitude and peace to help you find out what you’re putting your hope into. If you’re worried about losing anything, you may want to readjust your sights. However, if you’re at peace in the eye of the storm, you should rejoice and continue to lay on the wings of comfort because your hope is being perfected and God is willing to ease you through on the wings of eagles. He will renew you, he will encourage you, he will sustain you and most importantly, he will bless you! In Jesus’ name, AMEN!