DAY 90 - HOPE CHECK

 

ANDREW MATRONE, YA MINISTRY LEAD

“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.” Romans 15:13

Have you ever put your hope in someone or something and it didn’t quite pan out the way you thought it would? If you answered yes, you’re in good company! We’ve all put our hope in something or somebody and we didn’t get the end result we were expecting. Maybe for you it was a parent, an ex, a friend, a career move, a church, a pill or a substance, fill in the blank! 

Hope is a powerful thing, wouldn’t you agree? It’s the feeling of expectation that something is going to happen. In other words, we put our hope into things or people because we are expecting to get in return whatever it is we feel we need, i.e. the feeling we’ve been looking for, the healing we need, the life satisfaction and fulfillment we long for. 

Look… I don’t care if you’re the most successful, best looking, most talented person you know or you think you’re the most messed up, broken person you know, every single one of us, at some point in our lives, (whether Christian or not) will lay our head to bed at night and wonder what is the thing or the person that I CAN PUT MY HOPE IN that is going to bring that feeling of fulfillment and satisfaction in my life, not just for a moment, but forever. 

 Ecclesiastes 3:11 says that God has set eternity on the hearts of all men, meaning that every last one of us was born with an innate desire to find a HOPE that will not only fulfill us on this earth, but for eternity. 

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SO HERE’S MY QUESTION FOR YOU: In this past season of life, what or who have you been putting your hope into to bring you what only God was meant to bring you? Now don’t get me wrong… there are many avenues in which temporary fulfillment can be obtained, but what happens when that runs out? Well, we go to the next thing and then the next thing. So what has it been for you that you are using to bring a hope that only God can?

Can I remind you about a few things when it comes to God?

  • When you’re tired… HE CAN GIVE YOU REST. 

    • Matthew 11:28… “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.”

  • When you’re lonely and empty… HE CAN FILL YOU UP.

    • Psalm 34:18… “The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit.”

  • When you feel lost… REMEMBER HE ALREADY FOUND YOU.

    • Luke 19:10… “For the son of man came to seek and save and lost.”

  • When you feel anxious and depressed… HE CAN HELP CARRY IT.

    • 1 Peter 5:7… “Cast all your anxieties upon the Lord, because he cares for you.”

  • When you feel weak… HE CAN MAKE YOU STRONG.

    • Psalm 28:7… “The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and I am helped.”


Oftentimes when we feel weak or tired or lonely we run to everything BUT God and then we wonder why we feel like our souls are wandering.

Look… We all need something to put our hope into right now, but you get to decide what that is. But, when you get to the place where you trust that Jesus can actually provide for you the things you desire, you won’t feel the need to always run to that relationship or substance or _____. 

As I have needed many times in this season (and every other season for that matter), some of you need a “HOPE CHECK”. Ask yourself this question: What is it I’ve been desiring in life and where have I been going to get it? Depending on your answer, it might be time to turn your hope back to Jesus.

Praying for you today!

 
Milanna BakkenComment