Just a Glimmer of Hope

Rarely ever does God lay out his plans for us that we might clearly understand them and foresee everything ahead. In my experience, when God's plans have been revealed to me, it was at the very moment they were unfolding. However, sometimes I wonder if we don't know what is going on, or what is going to happen, simply because we do not ask, and in turn, we do not listen. I think sometimes we are afraid of what God might have in store for us. His plans might take us somewhere we have never been before. They might take us out of a place of comfort, and place us in unfamiliar territory. So "whatever those plans are that you have for me God, just let 'em fall right on me, no warning, I couldn't handle that." That's our attitude. 

And maybe that's the point. Surely God knows that if he were to reveal his plans for us to us, we might mess them up or reject them and run the other way. He's a clever God for catching us off guard. But, if you are anything like me, sometimes I just have to know something. I don't need the whole plan mapped out or played on a big screen; I just need something to give me peace, a little glimmer of hope that God really is up to something and that everything is going to be alright. 

Our greatest sense of hope will always come from the Word. Monday night I prayed for peace, and did not tell anyone. Tuesday morning I received these verses in an e-mail:

 Isaiah 26:3 Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee.

1 Peter 5:7 Casting all your cares upon him; for he careth for you. 

If we trust in the Lord, he will give us peace! What hope there is in that thought!

However, sometimes, words on a page are not enough for us. As humans, we need tangible proof that everything is going to be okay. We need to talk to someone, we need to see a sign. Fortunately, God is a God who gives us hope in those ways as well. 

Saturday night I was in a youth service in West Nashville at Friendship Pentecostal Church, where Bro. Dean Chapman is the pastor. The service was loud and the Holy Ghost was electric. We had the windows open and speakers in some of the windows so that the community could hear what was going on. At the end of the service, Bro. Chapman opened the doors and asked us to give a shout to God that the whole neighborhood could hear. It was almost deafening in that building, but I thought about what a sign of hope that was for the community and that church. The people around may not have understood what was going on, but I know that God stirred up something in their spirit when they heard such a joyful noise. That something was hope.

Sometimes we find hope in the presence of a close friend. I believe that God specifically places us in others lives. You don't meet someone by accident. So on one end, make every encounter you have worth something. Be an encouragement to others. On the other end, make every encounter about something that God can do. We gain hope from one another. Be honest with people, show them you care. Last Friday, before I went to lunch, I prayed that God would give me an opportunity to be a witness to someone. A few minutes after I had set down to eat, I saw a guy sit in my direct line of vision and I knew he was the one that God had called me to witness to. Why? Because I knew this guy, and he was the last person I wanted to talk to. However, God stirred up something in my spirit (after he got done laughing at me) and when I was finished eating, I went over and said hi and asked how everything was going. And I didn't talk to him about church or anything like that, rather, I tried to encourage him. I tried to give him a glimmer of hope. 

However, we all have days when hope seems very distant. But trust me, and trust the Word, hope can always be found.