Hope Deferred
Posted on April 7, 2017 by Graeme Wilson in Freedom Fighters
“Hope deferred makes the heart sick, But when the desire comes, it is a tree of life.” – Proverbs 13:12
Sometimes waiting for something that we know is coming can be a stressful experience. I think back to my pre-teen years and thinking, “I’ll never get my driver’s license”, or “I’m going to be in school the rest of my life.”
Hope deferred can be something we know is coming, but the waiting is the hardest part. I think of Abraham and Sarah, being promised a child but the anticipation was too much and they took matters into their own hands. Our walk with the Lord can be a strenuous ordeal at times. For me, it was the promise that God would deliver me from my addiction, but if I didn’t continue to put myself around godly people to encourage me, that time period could have been disrupted and my impatience could have led to relapse.
There are at least two possible sabotages that can occur if we allow ourselves to succumb to our fleshly feelings. Hope can be diminished if we have unrealistic expectations and manipulate God’s word to back up our desires. The other sabotage is that the waiting period for the fruition of our hope is too long and we give in to our desires.
The scriptures are full of admonishments preventing us from misaligning ourselves or becoming impatient. “Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but when the desire comes, it is a tree of life” – Proverbs 13:12. When we continue in hope and when we trust that our God will deliver in His timing, but we are impatient, that is the “makes the heart sick” part. We also can testify to a promise of God delivering, and that’s the “it is a tree of life” part. Romans 5 tells us it’s the final product when experiencing tribulation: “Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us”.
If you’re like me, there are times when we are saying “come quickly, Lord,” but until He comes or takes us home, it’s not unusual to feel a longing for His presence. “Hope Deferred” or put better in Romans chapter 8, “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us” is what we trust. “Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. Now He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God”.
So, while we wait there’s work to do, let’s join together and encourage one another and even more so “redeeming the time, because the days are evil”.
“Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit”, Romans 15:13.
Written by Rob Russomano: Rob Russomano is married to Terri, he is a graduate of the Colony of Mercy and a full time staff member. He is also available as a speaker of the grace of God with a message of Hope for church events. You can contact him at rrussomano@americaskeswick.org.
The Daily Bible Reading: Jeremiah 1-6 | You can download our 2017 Daily Bible Reading Plan by clicking here
Daily Quote: “Jesus gives us hope because He keeps us company, has a vision and knows the way we should go.” – Max Lucado
This Week’s Verse to Memorize:
By transgression an evil man is snared, But the righteous sings and rejoices. Proverbs 29:6
Want to get away & have dedicated time to read & learn God’s Word?
Consider a retreat at America’s Keswick retreat center.
