Morning by Morning, April 5 - Let Hope Deferred Become a Desire Fulfilled
Good morning, Lord Jesus. Lead me in the ways that lead to life in You today -- Father, Son, and Holy Spirit of God. ...
"Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a desire fulfilled is a tree of life" (Proverbs 13:12).
As I wait for the leading of Your Spirit this morning, I believe I hear in my heart: "Hope again. Dare to hope again. Prepare to hope again. Remind Me of your hopes that you feel have fallen away and fallen through the cracks and have been left unfulfilled. Let Me speak new life into your heart and your hopes. Let Me break off the spirit of hope deferred that makes your heart sick and replace it with the tree of life that I'm calling to spring forth and flourish in its time." ...
Yes, Lord. Maybe some of those things that have been in my heart to hope really have been Your will all along. Maybe some of those things have been held back by the enemy of my hopes, the enemy of my soul; and maybe some of those things have not been held back at all, but have been awaiting their appointed time. You're the God who makes all things beautiful in their time (Ecclesiastes 3:11). "For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven" (Ecclesiastes 3:1). But in "the fullness of time" You call things forth as they were always intended to be, You set things right as they rightfully should be, and You align our lives with Your time and direct our purposes into Your plans (Ephesians 1:10). And that's when hope deferred becomes a desire fulfilled springing forth into a tree of life!
So whether it was the enemy trying to steal my hope or whether it was the unfolding of Your plans and Your purposes, all in Your time and in Your way, You cause all of it will work together for good for me (Romans 8:28). You don't waste a moment of my sufferings, my heartaches, or my disappointments -- regardless of the source -- if I invite You into all of it with me and allow You to use all of it and redeem all of it. That's part of what Your Word means when You say, "Whenever you face trials of any kind, consider it nothing but joy, because you know that the testing of your faith produces endurance; and let endurance have its full effect, so that you may be mature and complete, lacking in nothing" (James 1:2-4). "And not only that, but we also boast in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not disappoint us, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us!" (Romans 5:3-5)
Goodbye hope deferred! Hello desire fulfilled! Come forth tree of life! You've taken every moment of my hope deferred and caused patient endurance to make my roots go down deep to learn to desperately depend upon You in humility and faith. And now "like a tree planted by the rivers of water, (You will) bring forth its fruit in its season!" (Psalm 1:3) As for me and my house and for all who would come into agreement with this word in my heart today, Lord, let it be so!
"Now may the God of hope fill (us) with all joy and peace in believing, that (we) may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit!" (Romans 15:13) In Jesus' name I pray. Amen!
Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays
My Friend, may you be filled with fresh hope and fresh faith to let hope deferred become a desire fulfilled, ready to yield God's beautiful and powerful fruit through your life in this new season of the fullness of time, in Jesus' name. Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my friend!
Tommy Hays | Messiah Ministries
Healing from the Inside Out
Pastoral Director | Rapha God Ministries
4 Dominion Drive, Building 1
San Antonio, Texas 78257
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