Theme: Do you really want to change the world?
In Isaiah 40:31, it says, “Those who hope in the Lord will…”. The use of the word ‘hope’ is not like we often use it today, as in, “I hope it doesn’t rain”, or “I hope I get a pony for my birthday”. The word hope used in this verse refers to a continuing deep trust in God and what He will do. The Hebrew root of the word hope often literally refers to a rope. Yes, a rope, given to us by our God, to hold onto with expectation.
Using this translation, another way to read Jeremiah 29;11 would be, “For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a rope (tiqvah) and a future.' This means that God has plans to prosper us, and knowing this truth ties us, ropes us, anchors us to our future. Hope is not a feeling, but a rope held by our God. As Theodore Roosevelt once said, “When you’re at the end of your rope, tie a knot and hold on”.
So, now we know that hope is a deep, enduring trust in God and not a casual wish, and that this hope is us hanging on to the rope lowered to us by God in the midst of the hopelessness in our inability to make dent in the troubles of life.
“He never received a formal education. His numerous letters, many of which still exist, are filled with grammatical errors. His physical appearance is not that impressive. His voice is high pitched and nasal. Yet, these obstacles did not hinder God from using him to shake two continents”.
These words were written by a journalist who was sent by his newspaper to discover what it was about D.L. Moody that was causing so many to come to Christ. In the end he wrote, “After careful observation, I cannot see anything in Moody that can explain his astonishing work”.
Today, as you look at your life and whatever the work is that is set before you, remember that it is not your work, not your agenda, not your mission, and not yours to do. It is God’s to do through you. Surrender yourself in every way to Him and His purposes.
Then, and only then, will we soar, run and walk, without falling, stumbling and growing weary. And then, He will do miraculous works through us.
As J.S. Stewart once wrote, “Offer up your weaknesses to Him as His weapons!”
Scripture: 2 Corinthians 12:9-10 (NIV)
“My Grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness. Therefore, I will boast all the more gladly about my weakness, 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.
Prayer:
Lord, please empty me, break me, crush me if you must, but remove from me every trace of pride and desire for my success. I long to see your miraculous handwork all around me and not hindered by my need to have a part in it. Lord, make me an empty vessel by whatever means necessary. In Christ’s name, Amen.
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