Faith & Hope

I’ve really been struggling with the idea of understanding “hope” & “faith” and not listening to Satan’s lies about me as a person in addition to God’s plan for my life. If I’m not worrying about a guy liking me, it’s me worrying that he’ll fall in love with another person over me. Never mind the fact that the whole plan is something God has in store (whether he is with me or with her or neither of us).

So let’s first talk about “faith”. As I listened to a sermon about this same subject, Circumstantial Faith is putting my belief that based on the formula of doing things “perfectly”. If I do XXXX then I must receive XXXX. If I don’t get this, then God must not be real and I can give up believing him… NOT! It’s so hard to really place trust in God when things don’t happen the way that we want.

This is where Hope comes in. We can certainly have hope that things will turn out in our favor. But the measure of faith that must come in is in regards to the fact that God always knows better than we do. We need to place our faith in Jesus/God despite the circumstances that we are in (most of which we wish would change). So, I have hope that I will be married, and I hope that he is XXXX. But as I hope I must rest in the knowledge that God knows the best plan & the when/who may be changed; but always for my good and His kingdom.

Some verses I have had to really rely on lately are:
Hebrew 11:1
Now faith is being sure of what we HOPE for and certain of what we do not see.

I hope that I will have this desire answered (to be married/wife/mother/etc.) and certain that God’s best is waiting to happen.

Hebrews 11:6
And without faith it is impossible to please God,

If I refuse to have this faith (in God & his best plan – no matter what), then I cannot please God.

Because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and he rewards those who earnestly seek him.

That even when my hopes are not answered the way I think, & I still keep the faith in God – that he WILL always reward those who place faith in him.

So maybe it really is an equation…Have FAITH in God (the kind that realizes that His best is always at hand, and His will is always best) and then He will reward you (with His kind of rewards, in His timing, and in His way).

Mark 1:40
Lord if you are willing, you can make me clean.

It’s not the fact that God is unable to answer the prayer, but more important that I fully understand that this world is NOT about me. It is about His kingdom, glory, and honor. His process is much more important, and if He is willing…I believe that He will make this happen in my life. And going along with the stuff above, I believe that even if He doesn’t choose to answer this particular prayer soon (if ever) that His ways are much higher than mine. He knows best.

The next part of the sermon series was the response to unanswered prayers. He spoke about Paul’s thorn that he pleaded with God to take away – 3 times in fact. The part that was renewed in my heart was what followed in the verses in 2nd Corinthians:

2 Corinthians 12:9b-10
Therefore I will boast all the more about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

Notice the plurality of that statement. Paul asked 3 times for this ONE item to be removed…but he (read I) will delight in ALL of the struggles present. As when I am weak, I am strong because of the power of Christ that He freely gives in response to my faith in him.

I know the challenge of walking with this peace is huge. The important armor that I have available is those verses above. I have been battling my soul with this whole knowledge. Not wavering on what I have learned but being frustrated with living solely on Circumstantial Faith. God is calling me to stand firm and fully trust Him. But with the kind of Faith that pleases him; faith that says You are God, I hope for good things, but realize that even if those good things I want are not what you want – I’m going to trust you anyway; because after all, you better than I.

Approaching the throne with confidence...

Hebrews 4:16
Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.

This being my first official blog post on this site, I am hoping to adequately articulate my thoughts about this journey I have been asked to walk called singleness. In a few short months I will be hitting my 30th year in this life. Sure, age is just a number that we use to count time relative to others & their number.

When you are in high school, you are faced with the opportunity that the world is your canvas and the painting you create is up to you. The freedom you have & the dreams that can come true is an endless set of possibilities. Though 30 is the next 20, it seems that life is nothing that I would have ever thought it would look like - at least not through these lenses.

This is where the idea of trusting my Creator comes into play. If Romans 8:28 is true, then we can be sure that everything that has happened to me up to this point has all been in God's plan. This is a tough place to be at since I want what I want & when I want it...But even in the midst of my self-will wanting to rule over my heart, my heart is fighting to listen to God and realize that His ultimate best is coming to fruition in my life.

I was reading an email I received this week that touched on the idea of Eve's ultimate desire to have knowledge of everything - good & evil. It's kind of like the idea that hopes in life are in a game of "Door #1 & Door #2".

Behind good ole Door #1 is an image of everything that you could imagine that is good. A well-paying, satisfying job; the most attractive man with all the best qualities ever; well-behaved children & perfect ministry - all behind a piece of glass.
Behind Door #2 is...well we don't know. It's all behind a solid wood door with no holes or windows. But what if you were told EVERY one of your dreams, hopes & desires would be fulfilled behind Door #2. Would you trust the messenger?
Eve chose Door #1. But the problem is, she didn't see the consequences. The question I need to ask myself "Is it worth choosing Door #1 since I can see all that is available, or am I willing to risk all of my desires to see how good Door #2 really is?"

I hope that as we experience this journey together, that we'll see which option I choose. So, I will approach the throne of grace with confidence and hope to recieve mercy and to find God's grace to help me through this time.