Learning to Trust and Rely Upon our God of Hope

Spending time in a hospital waiting room this past week with one of our members inspired Pastor Nathan’s message this week about learning to trust and rely upon our God of hope. Noticing all the people waiting with heads down, looking upon expressions of weariness and depression, and feeling their sense of heaviness and sadness reminded him of those who are in this world who are hopeless. Unfortunately, this world is full of people who fit this description. All too well, they know the heaviness that darkness brings.

As the Body of Christ, we are called to be a light to people who are in a dark place. While this world can become dark and weary, neither of those things describe God. Instead, we serve a God who is almighty, powerful, and full of strength. Reading from Isaiah 40:28-31 we find the hope that the world needs. “Have you never heard? Have you never understood? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of all the earth. He never grows weak or weary. No one can measure the depths of his understanding. He gives power to the weak and strength to the powerless. Even youths will become weak and tired, and young men will fall in exhaustion. But those who trust in the Lord will find new strength. They will soar high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint.”

Many will say that God is slow to answer, but God doesn’t follow our timetable. He is never slow; He is right on time! The devil often seeks to wear us out so that we have no strength, no joy, and no hope. (Daniel 7:25) These are the times in which we must rise and stand on God’s Word! The word “wait” is not a passive word. It doesn’t mean we sit around waiting for God to do something about our situation. It is an active hope. It means to look forward eagerly, to expect, and to trust in God. It can also mean to intertwine yourself with God. Godly hope is always a confident expectation.

When someone is trapped in hopelessness, it can be traced back to what they are focused upon. You can never find strength, hope, or joy in the world. Hope is not a positive optimism. It is a confident expectation that God will do that which He promised. Godly hope keeps its eyes on God and nowhere else. It pays attention to what God is saying. It says what God says. Well known Evangelist R. W. Schambach, a man who preached the uncompromised Word of God with signs following often said, “You don’t have any troubles, all you need is faith in God.” We must set our face like flint (Isaiah 50:7) and declare, the Lord God will help me! When we need help, we must look to the Word of God. We must keep our attention on Him.

Bishop David Oyedepo enjoyed sharing the encounter he had with God many years ago while studying Psalm 34:5. “They looked unto him and were lightened: and their faces were not ashamed.” God said to him, “You have two eyes, David. Can you look up with one eye and down with another?” He tried it and discovered it wasn’t possible. God responded back, “In like manner, when you are looking to men, don’t claim to be looking to me. They are two different things. But if you can look solely to me, then you will never be ashamed”.

Pastor Nathan went on to relate how his older children have discovered online shopping and what a tracking number is for! They often eagerly await their packages with confident expectation. Oh, that we would do the same, for the Word of God is our tracking number! We know that what He says in His Word He will do. With confident expectation, we put our focus on Him. “This hope is a strong and trustworthy anchor for our souls.” Hebrews 6:19 God’s hope is the anchor that holds us in a fixed position. “Let all that I am wait quietly before God, for my hope is in Him.” Psalm 62:5

As Christians, we have a choice. We can have what God says we can have or we can have what the world has. Jesus Christ has all that we need to accomplish the will of God. When we trust Him, He will raise us up. He will renew our strength. He will give us the strength to walk or run, and if needed, He can give us wings to fly above or out of any situation. Our part is to trust in the Lord to find new strength. Then we will soar high on wings like eagles. We will run and not grow weary. We will walk and not faint.