Recently I was struck by the most seemingly mundane Bible verse, and I believe there is a powerful vision in it for us. In 1 Samuel 27:1, David was beginning to have friction with Saul. Saul had attempted to come against David a couple of times, but had failed. He even apologetically confessed that David was a better man than him, blessed him, and acknowledged that he would reign as king (1 Samuel 24:16-21; 26:21,25). This was, of course, long after David had been anointed and received the prophecy that he would be king. It was after he'd walked through battles with Goliath and tens of thousands of others – all with astounding victory from the Lord. Yet chapter 27 begins with these words:
"But David thought to himself, 'One of these days I will be destroyed by the hand of Saul. The best thing I can do is to escape to the land of the Philistines. Then Saul will give up searching for me anywhere in Israel, and I will slip out of his hand.'" (1 Samuel 27:1)
In light of testimonies, prophecies, and even straight from the mouth of his enemies, David had much to hope for. Yet a persistent (and lying) thought said, One of these days, I will be destroyed by the hand of Saul. Because of this, he moved into the land of the Philistines (his enemies), which eventually led to the raid of Ziklag... which almost got him stoned by his own men. It didn't change the fact that Saul never did destroy him. It also didn't change the fulfillment of the word that he would be king. But it created a less-than-enjoyable detour.
Our level of hope can dictate where we feel safe to settle. Because of a faulty expectation (opposite of what the Lord told him), David felt safer in the land of the enemy. Our level of expectancy doesn't manipulate the Lord's actions, but it does influence ours. In our own lives, what is the "thing" that the enemy keeps tempting us to expect? What is the thing that inserts the thought into our head that One of these days, I will be destroyed by _________. Anxiety, depression, illness, lack of resources; this business; this oppressive situation, etc. could all fill in our blanks.
Fortifying Your Hope
The Lord wants to use the pressures in our lives to fortify our hope and trust in His goodness, not to drive us out of our promised lands. Even now, just through reading this word and as you feel His presence, the Lord wants to redeem your mind and break off a spirit of hopelessness; maybe even breaking it off of some of you who haven't realized that it is there – those in whom a stronghold (place of safety) has been forged based on the enemy's thoughts, as opposed to God's promises and inheritance. (Photo via Unsplash)
Merriam-Webster defines hopelessness as "having no expectation of good or success." Turns out that any expectation about what God is going to do that doesn't involve "good" or "victory" is probably rooted in hopelessness. Hopelessness can also be defined as "not susceptible to remedy or cure," or "incapable of redemption or improvement." What (or who) have we labeled as "never going to change" or "never going to get better"? Even though we know that "beyond redemption" or "without cure" doesn't sound like God, we sometimes settle for this place as our Ziklag.
Another definition for hopelessness is "giving no reason to expect good or success: giving no ground for hope." That caught my attention. Hope needs ground. And God talks a lot about ground in His Word. Whether it's the internal ground of our hearts that He is plowing and sowing in, or the spiritual ground of the territory He has given us to steward for the Kingdom, He is very clear that we control the condition of our soil (how we receive it), as well as how faithfully we occupy our land (how fully we give over/connect every part of our lives to His Word).
With hopelessness, typically strongholds happen when we deny ground to anything we don't have reason to expect. Thinking about almost any hopeful testimony in the Bible, the people had literally no reason to expect God to move in the way He did. But He did give them a word of hope that would lead them to expect victory and good things.
The Place of Pressure: What Are You Putting Your Hope In?
The reality is that often times the places where we feel the most pressure are the places God has planned to use for His glory. David felt pressured to run from the king and kingdom when God had planned for him to become the king in that kingdom. In these places of pressure, we can let ourselves be talked out of a place of hope in the name of self-defense; we try to protect ourselves from disappointment. Hence, we let the enemy construct a stronghold for what we fear... the illusion of protection.
Biblically, hope (elpis in the original Greek) means "expectation of what is sure," but it can also mean "expectation of good, hope" or "expectation of evil, fear." Turns out we all are currently putting our hope (expectation/certainty) in something. Is it in the truth – God's goodness and victory, or is it in low expectations, defeat, and fear?
Suffering That Produces Hope
"Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we boast in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us." (Romans 5:1-5) (Photo via Pxfuel)
The "suffering" that begins this process of hope is not the cringe-evoking suffering we're thinking of. This word, "thlipsis," in the original language actually means "pressure." And what's more, it refers to internal pressure that produces a "narrow place that hems someone in." The place where we can become busy fighting external pressures how we see fit is sometimes the very place where the Lord wants to do an internal work as our Shepherd, who hems us in and calls us to the narrow way that makes our hope impervious.
As we remain patient (hupomone – meaning to "remain under," as God enables), it develops character. Character (dokime) refers to our tested and true hearts, but is also seen elsewhere in the Bible when referring to the "proof of Christ." And how often are our times of greatest pressure the times the Lord uses to develop proof of the Christ-like glory He is ever transforming us into? It is all these things – the pressure, the God-enabled endurance, and seeing Christ's character revealed in us – that produce hope.
The Hope That Never Disappoints
This hope, Romans 5:5 says, will never disappoint. According to Collins Dictionary, disappoint is defined as "to fail to satisfy the hopes or expectations of; leave unsatisfied." So while we, like David, may not understand exactly when or how the Lord is going to fulfill His promises, we have this assurance that He won't almost fill or barely fill but completely satisfy the hope He has planted in us. We just need to wait with the Lord and let our hope have ground to grow in instead of fleeing our promised land and expecting lies.
Ask God (and listen for the Holy Spirit's response), "Father... illuminate the places of hopelessness in my life. Where am I expecting less than Your goodness and victory? Remind me again of Your testimonies and words of hope over my life. Help me to discern and take captive the ways that the enemy wants to skew what I'm expecting. And help me to remain under by Your power until the full process of hope is complete."
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Sara Whitten
Arrows of Zion
Email:Â sara@arrowsofzion.com
Website:Â www.arrowsofzion.com
Sara Whitten is an author, speaker, equipper, and founder of Arrows of Zion Ministry. She and her husband are youth pastors at Impact Christian Fellowship in Kerrville, Texas. Sara is a prophetic writer that is featured on Charisma, The Elijah List, Spirit Fuel, and more. She hosts "Hear God Every Day," a podcast with tools to help amplify the voice of God amidst the noise of everyday life. She participates in developing resources and Bible-based trainings for areas least reached by the Gospel.
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