Originally published Monday, 04 May 2020.
I’m not sure where you on the topic of hope, but I pray that this blog post encourages you, greatly. Whatever you’ve been hoping for, I want you to keep trusting God through the process of waiting, sis. Know that He has not forgotten you. He has heard your plea, cry, and heart on the matter or desire. Now, it’s just time to remain hopeful.
Remaining hopeful is all about staying full of hope, no matter what your circumstances look like. It means remaining expectant of good things to come and answered prayers. Just think about it for a second. What are you hoping for in your life, currently? Ponder that for a moment, and then write it down in your journal or create a plaque and put it on your desk or on your wall to encourage you from time to time.
Keep it before you and wait with great expectancy – hope.
Hope is actually defined as a feeling of expectation and desire for a certain thing to happen. And it’s expecting with confidence. One verse and promise that encourages me is Philippians 1:6, “And I am confident of this very thing, that he who began a good work in me will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ.” Amen!
Another verse that accompanies this one in Psalm 31: 24 saying, “So be strong and courageous, all you who put your hope in the Lord!” Woohoo!
Now, let me pause here for a moment and speak on a time in your life when you may have been expecting a job promotion and didn’t get what you were hoping for or maybe you were hoping for something very personal to happen and it didn’t go as you confidently, expected. Guess what, sis. God knows what’s best for you.
There could be a variety of reasons why you didn’t get the promotion that you’d hoped for, but did you consider that maybe God wanted to or wants to do something way better? Maybe He wanted to train you more or open up another door for you or have you change positions or companies altogether? You don’t know.
However, what you do know is that you love Him and He loves you. And He will never give you a stone, when you’re asking for bread. Meaning, He’s always going to give you good gifts and what’s best for you.
Remember what Isaiah 55:8 says, “My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts, says the Lord, “And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine.”
On the flipside, think back to a time when He said, “Yes” to something that you were hoping and praying for? How did that make you feel? Great, right?!
Now, imagine a time when you wanted something, but He did something even better than what you were expecting or hoping for? Did that not blow your mind?! Ephesians 3:20 says, “Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us.”
He is able, sis! He is able to do even more than what we can imagine! I know for myself on countless occasions that this is true.
So wait on Him. Wait with great expectancy. And if things don’t go as you expected, keep living. He’s got something great coming your way.
Right now, I am waiting to build our new home. I can’t wait! I am waiting with great hope. I am looking at furniture ideas. I'm even considering hiring an interior designer. I'm just super excited about the whole process.
But what do I do now? I remain hopeful that it will happen in due time, and maybe in a way that exceeds my expectations. I hope so.
With that being said, my encouragement to you as you read this post is to remain hopeful. Let go of any doubt, despair, or hopelessness and look out for what’s up ahead with great expectancy (whatever that may be) - even if you don't see it yet.
Lastly, as we await the expected return of Jesus Christ, “We should live in this evil world with wisdom, righteousness, and devotion to God, while we look forward with hope to that wonderful day when the glory of our God and Savior, Jesus Christ, will be revealed. He gave his life to free us from every kind of sin, to cleanse us, and to make us his very own people, totally committed to doing good deeds.” (Titus 2:12-14)
Remember, Jesus is coming back soon! And those who endure unto the end shall be saved. So let’s be ready from the Inside Out!
~Courtnaye
QUESTION: What are you hoping for in your life right now and how are you waiting? Let me know.
*Also, need prayer? If so, write it out here or you can email me directly to join you in prayer on it @ insideoutwithcourtnaye@gmail.com. I look forward to hearing from you and praying for you.
*Grab my NEW 52-Week Devotional book today! Visit www.courtnayerichard.com or Amazon to order! Thanks!
Courtnaye Richard is the founder of Inside Out with Courtnaye, a ministry that helps women grow in their walk with Christ from the heart and equips them to fulfill their God-given purpose. She is also the author of the book, IDENTIFIED: Knowing Who You Are in Christ and Moving Forward in Your Purpose. Courtnaye is married with three beautiful children and is a contributing writer for ibelieve.com, Women’s Ministry Tools, speaker of a host of women’s conferences, and her blog reaches thousands of women across the globe. She resides in the beautiful Texas Hill Country (outside of Austin, Texas).
Click here to see the full list of Inside Out with Courtnaye episodes!
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