The God of Our Hope

Posted on January 17, 2019 by America's Keswick in Victory Call

My soul, wait only upon God and silently submit to Him; for my hope and expectation are from Him.- Psalm 62:5 AMP

Why can’t they just……. If only he would…..I need her to…..they won’t….. Ever found yourself echoing similar complaints as a believer in Christ? I have – more often than I’d like to admit! Why is that? Put simply, you and I will never outgrow our need to intentionally reorient ourselves to our one, true and only source: the Lord. Obviously, God wired us for community and for healthy interdependence. Our lives are inextricably linked with others, and he most often uses people to meet our tangible and intangible needs.

But herein lies the rub and the temptation. It’s one thing to put one’s need on God and to gladly receive from him through his chosen vessels and avenues. It’s quite another to put our needs first on another person. This inherently fuels relational conflict through flesh-driven attempts to control or manipulate to get one’s needs met: needs that God promises to meet. And these mask-donning flesh strategies are insidious as the flesh is always only one step away for any of us.

All the while, God is looking for and longing for us to bring our needs, hopes, and desires first and foremost to him. He wants us to forsake our futile efforts and those empty or sullied wells that we have accessed as he offers us the purest spiritual water, milk and wine: all that we need for sustenance and balanced, God-intended pleasure. As we commune with and abide in him, he purifies our hearts and desires. We then become increasingly aligned with God’s truth and better related, not just to others, but to him as we see and value him more and more for who he truly is- not just a composite of our own expectations.

And as he overflows our cups, others get the outpouring. God gets honored. People get blessed. We become satiated in our God.

Beloved, may I ask if this is your experience today- not perfectly but consistently or at least progressively? If not, your good and faithful Father is waiting on you this very moment- longing to be what you need and all that you need in his perfect timing and ways. He also wants to give you your purest heart’s desire and is able to do more than you can dare to hope or imagine.

Whatever your situation may be, trust and know that his tailored provision will be just what you need, well-timed and straight from his hand. Will you come to him as his expectant child? I’ve prayed you will.

James 1:17; Jeremiah 2:13; Zechariah 4:6; Isaiah 45:22, 55:1-2; James 1:17; Ephesians 3:20; John 4:14; Psalm 37:4

Written by Melissa Smith: Melissa Smith is the Women’s ENRICH Counselor at America’s Keswick. She has the privilege and honor of ministering to the Colony men’s wives and girlfriends, the Barbara’s Place women, and community women who God brings to America’s Keswick for help or care. She and Bill, her husband of 20 years, have four grown, wonderful adopted children. Her fervent desire is to point women to Christ and His sufficiency, provision, and promises.

The Daily Bible Reading: Genesis 41-42, Romans 14| You can download our 2018 Daily Bible Reading Plan by clicking here

Daily Quote: “If true happiness depended on the thoughts of man, then all philosophers and deep thinkers would be filled to overflowing with it.” – Sadhu Sundar Singh

This Week’s Verse to Memorize: And I will put enmity between you and the woman, And between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel.” -Genesis 3:15