The Anchor for Every Scenario
The seasons of our lives ebb and flow with both beauty and heartache. This is true for those who are Believers in Yeshua, as well as those who do not yet believe. Yet, for those of us who believe, these ever-changing moments have one unchangeable aspect that anchors us through every scenario: HOPE.
"Yet I still dare to hope when I remember this:
"The faithful love of the Lord never ends! His mercies never cease.
"Great is His faithfulness; His mercies begin afresh each morning.
"I say to myself, 'The Lord is my inheritance; therefore, I will hope in Him!'" (Lamentations 3:21–24 NLT)
In Zechariah 9:12, God calls us "prisoners of hope," and that is the promise of restoration.
"Return to your fortress, you prisoners of hope; even now I announce that I will restore twice as much to you." (Zechariah 9:12 NIV)
Daring to Hope in Beauty or Tragedy
I often find myself overwhelmed at the beauty all around me: the sunsets, the grass waving in a field, a couple holding hands as they speak wedding vows, or when I look into the face of a baby.
I am equally overwhelmed and shocked when eyes and mind see something that suddenly interrupts that beauty with an unexpected twist, which reminds me that sin and death have been intermingled with the beauty of God's creation. Seeing it, or experiencing it, can feel like a punch that takes my breath away.
Lamentations 3 begins with the first twenty verses describing the pain and suffering that Jeremiah had been facing. It was cruel and unrelenting pain. Then it is as though he pauses, or takes a long breath, before beginning verse 21: "Yet, I will dare to hope when I remember the faithfulness of the Lord." (Photo via Maxpixel)
"I will dare to hope!" Why? Because we are not only prisoners of hope, but we are surrounded by the Lord's faithfulness, for it never fails and never changes. Though sin and death have entered the world, it did not enter His faithfulness. It has not interrupted His promise of redemption or of beauty being restored. His faithfulness will win and has already been secured through His resurrection.
Pause, Breathe, and Decree
When we are forced to look in the face of the enemy that has polluted creation and God's created people, we must do as Jeremiah did: pause, breathe, and decree.
We decree that we will hope in the Lord and His faithfulness! Not in man's faithfulness, not in the faithfulness of the moments before us, not in the riches of this world—but in God's faithfulness that has surrounded us.
This is our hope! In both the beauty and the tragedy, His faithfulness remains true and sure. This is my hope! And this is the hope that will never disappoint.
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Kathi Pelton
Inscribe Ministries
Email:Â jkpelton@sbcglobal.net
Website:Â www.inscribeministries.com
Jeffrey and Kathi Pelton live in Portland, Oregon. Jeffrey is a writer, teacher and book editor. Kathi is an author and prophetic voice to the Church. They walk with nations and individuals to see God's original intent fulfilled. Their ministry, Inscribe Ministries, was founded upon the verse from Habakkuk 2:2 that says, "Then the LORD answered me and said: 'Write the vision and make it plain on tablets, that he may run who reads it.'"
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