…but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint. ISAIAH 40:31, NIV
It can be incredibly hard, when we feel like God has given us a promise, not to start hoping in the promise rather than the One who gave us the promise. It’s so easy to get caught in a cycle of trying to make things happen for ourselves rather than realizing that God works best while we rest.
Psalm 127:1-2 (NLT) says, “Unless the Lord builds a house, the work of the builders is wasted. Unless the Lord protects a city, guarding it with sentries will do no good. It is useless for you to work so hard from early morning until late at night, anxiously working for food to eat; for God gives rest to his loved ones.”
In our humanness, this doesn’t make sense. It seems that we must work in order to make our way, but in God’s kingdom things often work opposite of the world. So, instead of striving to make everything go the way you think it should, let’s try a new approach together!
Today, let’s rest. Take a deep breath in, and remember what was done for you and the love that has been lavished upon you through Jesus. God sent His Son to be the HOPE of the world. Isaiah 40:31 says, “…but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint” (NIV).
Imagine how hard it must’ve been for Abraham to put his hope in God when God asked him to sacrifice Isaac. Isaac was the promise Abraham had been waiting and hoping for his whole life, and then God asked him to kill his only, promised son.
How was Abraham able to obey this kind of command? Imagine if you prayed for something your whole life, you put all your hope in that one thing happening one day, and then God says, “Hey, remember how I promised you that dream? Well, I want you to let go of it. And not only do I want you to let it go, but I want you to kill it.” I can’t imagine how hard this must’ve been for Abraham, or maybe it wasn’t hard for him at all. Hebrews 11 tells us that Abraham trusted that if God was faithful to give him Isaac, He would be faithful to give him back.
Abraham didn’t place his hope in the promise. Abraham didn’t hope in Isaac. Abraham knew that his hope was in God. We cannot lose hope when our hope rests in the One who created us. And if you know this story, you know that Abraham’s hope in God was not disappointed. God provided a ram just in time! He wasn’t early or a moment late, but right on time. Real hope is found where real hope cannot ever be lost—in Jesus. He is our hope and the hope of the whole world.
Laney Rene joins James and Betty this Tuesday and Thursday on LIFE TODAY. This is an excerpt from Speak Your Name by Laney Rene. Copyright ©2020 by Laney Rene. Published by Breakfast for Seven, a division of InProv LLC. Used by permission.
