Hope Tied

As I continue to read “I Want to Trust You, But I Don’t,” by Lysa Terkheurst, I am met with the realization of my hope being tied to my desires. There is a gap between our desires and them being met that we must endure with perseverance, patience, and faith. As I walk in my gap, a valley, I find my faith wavering in my desire coming to fruition. I learned that there are desires given to us by God (those He will bring into fruition in accordance to His will) and there are desires our flesh has (those that will not be met). Will God give me this desire or will He allow it fade away into the abyss, never to blossom? I have prayed over and over for assurance that this desire was given to me by Him, and He confirmed it each time, so why do I still waver?

I reflected and asked God for truth, “What do you see Lord, that I am missing, that is leading to this wavering faith?” I reviewed all the moving pieces and realized that my faith moved whenever another person moved. This person is tied to my desire but the key element to remember is: God is the only one my hope should be tied to. He is the Giver of Gifts and Provider of Hope, Author of our Faith. Not only does all fall short to His glory therefore not worthy to be determinants of hope and trust, but all are under the sovereignty of God. No one can do anything without His permission and He can harden/soften anyone’s heart so that His will come to pass.

God is the only promise-keeper because He is the only one that can assure their ability to come to pass. We have no power to accomplish this, nor does anyone have the power to prevent His promises. So, take heart dear friend. If your situation around you look bleak and its ground looks unstable, take them sovereignty under the mighty hand of God. If your environment looks unsure and does not look like you can trust it, trust in the one who led you there and the fullness of His glory and omniscience. And when around you don’t look like anything you believe it should like that is conducive to His promises to you, tied your hope to God, the only one who can’t speak against Himself and by His character has to make it come to pass, even if from ashes.

Book Reference:

TerKeurst, L. (2024). I want to trust you, but I don’t: Moving Forward When You’re Skeptical of Others, Afraid of What God Will Allow, and Doubtful of Your Own Discernment. Thomas Nelson.