Hope, it’s a Persistent Thing

It was in Daring to Hope by Katie Davis Major.

It was in the theme of Kidmin Nation Mega Con.

It was in “7 Factors of Hope” by Pastor Maury Davis.

It was in a breakout session with Josh and Kate Richter.

It was in my pastor’s sermon last Sunday.

The word “hope” has been popping up in my life in a way I can’t ignore, and when that happens, I pay attention. It’s like it should have been my one word for this year, but I didn’t pick one. Better late than never? Here’s what I’m learning about hope.

From Daring to Hope, I learn that hope is risky. Hope takes guts. Hope is daring and dangerous. It can be embarrassing and it will cost me something. It’s also worth it. Hope, true hope is found in Jesus, in leaning into God through every circumstance and every outcome. Katie wrote, “And I hear His voice steady and clear, ‘Behold. I am doing a new thing.'”

That is from Isaiah 43:19 and is the theme for Kidmin Nation Mega Con, where Pastor Maury Davis preached about hope, that it is a product of our connection with the Spirit of God. One of its factors is to raise your expectations because faith is not for what you deserve, but for what you believe.

Josh and Kate Richter, in their breakout session on Seeing Your Dreams Come to Life, challenged us to join God in the impossible because we serve a God of the impossible.

I come home from the conference and in the middle of Sunday school, I catch the word “hope” pour from the speakers.

What is it about hope I’m supposed to pay attention to? What is it about hope that I need to wrestle with? Have I been hopeless? Have I been hopeful for the wrong thing? I have been mulling over these questions and here’s what I know so far.

1. I’ve been tired of praying the same prayers, the same worries, and the same requests God has heard a thousand times. Hope tells me God’s not tired of hearing them from me and He does hear them. He hears me.
2. God is doing a new thing in the ministry. I want to behold it and perceive it, but that means stepping into it. I hesitate. Hope tells me not to.
3. There are things that feel too big for my understanding and things too out of my control. Hope tells me to let them be too big and too out of my control because God is bigger and God is always in control.

Hope shushes the lies of the enemy and the lies I tell myself, as logical as those lies may be. Hope is illogical. Hope is on the side of faith.

“Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen” Hebrews 11:1.

Hope stops every step I take to shape my future the way I want it to be. As responsible as those steps may be, when I turn them over to God, He has something else in mind that frustrates and confuses me, but also gives me hope.

“In their hearts humans plan their course, but the Lord establishes their steps” Proverbs 16:9.

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Jeremiah 29:11.

When we place our hope in Jesus, hope is persistent because He is persistent. He doesn’t let go even when we flail around, trying to do things our way, or overwhelmed by sorrow. God is Hope. Let Hope embrace you today.

This post is part of my 31 Days of Vlogging series where I blog and vlog for the month of October.