Hope is a word that is vague when it comes to future events beyond Christ return. What I mean is a believer puts their trust in God, to hope for his grace, him to strength, to encourage and to bring about the promise of better things in this life and beyond. Yet it does not stop us from being a witness of judgment, disaster or to face disaster. It does not stop us from receiving correction from God and it does not mean a friend or family member will not pass away. The hope of the waiting area that good news will come sometimes means eternal life doorway is open to the one dying and not the hope of healing to the one waiting for their love one to be returned to them.

We are not beyond the feeling of pain and sorrow, or heartache, then what is hope in the Lord about? God perserves the faithful and rewards the doer of his word. Yet we ask what is hope all about? Hope is for a better day then yesteray, perhaps, but is it more, is hope that when we feel weak in our legs that strength will return. Have we over done in to where our legs feel like to walking another mile just might be to far. Has one lost hope when they look at the distance they have to go.

Hope is the blessed assurance knowing that the prize is worth the journey with God. To do it God's way and yield to God's will even when it hurts. How often it hurts to have to run the extra mile, yet was it worth it? Did you fall, or pass out only to have God raise you back up to run again. Have you ever been sick in body and fight to be strong again? If you are young you might not have a clue on this one. Yet when your older maybe you will reflect and say I now understand that weakness of not thinking one can climb another hill, and one does it by the Spirit of the Lord.

What is it to look only to God for strength, is to hope in the one that will perserve you until the time of departure from this earth to meet Jesus in the sky, whether in spirit or in the rapture of the church. That hope of Lord is it are you Lord able, will you provide? I am asking for your provision. Yet if you asking are you in the will of what God wants you to do, then he going to provide for you the strength to go that extra mile. Yet is that hope to be in God's will or to know as a child of God he hears your prayer and provide those things needed.

Hope is not to think your work is going to be good enough, but that your work is accordance to the will and obedience of God. There are things one is just not good at, but are you in the will of God when you step up to the plate to do his will. Did you step because no one else would. Did you step to obey the Lord because you choose to answer. Then God is going to provide for that strength, those supplies and even the extra help you might need.

Your hope is not that your perfect for the job, but that God will mold and make you into what he has designed on the blueprints he designed for your life. God got a picture of you before and after he working on molding, shaping and straightening you according to his perfect will. Your picture is not complete til it is your turn to go home to be with him. Part of your blueprints has to do with loving God and loving others as you would yourself, no as Christ loved you and died for you. As God loved you and sent His son. Is the idea of love in our creative design or God's design of what true unconditional love is? One might claim to obey the law of love, but do we love God's way.

How that hope begins to fade if we only see our limitation of the day and not the ability God has given a person to be. That hope to be more then the slug in a pond, or ugly duckling swimming in a stream. The ugly duckling became a beautiful swan. It not the flaws that you need to concern yourself with besides getting rid of the sin, it is to be concerned about the hope that Lord will turn you into that beautiful prince or princess in his kingdom. That hope you place in the Lord is like a man betting on a horse, and he places his bid in the hand of the bookie, and hope that the horse will win the race, no you know the horse you bid on will win or you loose all your money. God not bidding you might win, he betting you will win because you his child. He going to enable you to do will. Our hope is for us to retain what God will do in our life for us, no that we will be reminded of the hope that is already assured for those who love and keep his commandments.

As believers we rest in hope of the full assurance of faith that looking to Jesus as he commands will bring us to the promise land. We rest in the hope of a better tomorrow not knowing if another storm will come, but that faith will stand in knowing he will take care of us in the mist of the storm. We rest in the hope that Jesus will never leave or forsake us and that as we hold to the hope of faith, we also obey his commands.

If we look to the Lord, we will run and not grow faint, if we look to Lord he will renew our strength. If we fail to look we might faulter but when we look up like Peter, the storm will be all around, but he will lift us up. Our hope is the assurance of all faith in the Lord brings. Hope is resting in the assurance without doubt. Where are you doubting what God can do in your life? Trust in the Lord not with your understanding but with all you do not understand as well. Knowing The Lord is able to direct your path and will, if you trust in him. That the guarantee in our life, that He will direct your path if you trust in Him.

Dear Heavenly Father, help me to trust in you knowing with full assurance you have a perfect will for my life, as well as hold the blueprints for my life and other individual lives to perform the will you have designed for my life and theirs. In Jesus precious name, Amen.

Continual Scripture Study: Isaiah 40:25-31 KJV
25 To whom then will ye liken me, or shall I be equal? saith the Holy One.
26 Lift up your eyes on high, and behold who hath created these things, that bringeth out their host by number: he calleth them all by names by the greatness of his might, for that he is strong in power; not one faileth.
27 Why sayest thou, O Jacob, and speakest, O Israel, My way is hid from the LORD, and my judgment is passed over from my God?
28 Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? there is no searching of his understanding.
29 He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength.
30 Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall:
31 But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.

Proverbs 3:5-6 KJV
5 Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.
6 In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.