So what is Hope anyway? Is it just a girls name? Is it something you say to a sick person? Is it a positive emotional response to a problem? What is hope really? I was someone who never had any hope. I was always negative and always expected and believed the worst would happen to me. I wasn't really thankful for much in my life despite having so much. I was nasty, mean and bitter about a lot of things. I believed the lie that I was a product of a broken home, a failure. Second class rubbish that had no use apart from being used and abused. I didn't value myself at all and allowed people to harm me very badly. All because I had no hope. Several years ago my life really started to fall apart and I was diagnosed with depression and put on medication for it. The cracks could no longer be hidden and they had become deep chasms of darkness that were leaking out pain for all to see. My loved ones and my family felt that pain explode in their direction every time they came close.
Then that day - when my pride had finally died - Jesus met me right when I needed Him. He came and literally ripped out of me what didn't belong. With His strong arm He tore from me the unwanted guest that lived in me - death itself. That day I was set free. Everything changed and I mean EVERYTHING. The pain died that day in a tremendous way. My eyes were opened. I now knew the truth. I now knew His power and His authority. I now knew what He could really do. I knew what I was and know what I am now - a free man. All because of Him. Now - I have hope. So what is hope? Hope is expectancy placed on One who is faithful and mighty to save. Hope is believing in the One who loves us, hears us and fights for us. I now have hope because of what Jesus did for me. He changed me forever and set me free from all the pain and death that tormented me and that made my life a living hell. I have hope because of my King and what He can do. I also learnt that hope is as weapon. A truly powerful weapon that is transferable to others. If you give yourself to hope you are given the power to lift and help others fight in their battles.
Hope is so much more than just a sentiment, so much more than just a feeling, so much more than just a wish. It's the expectant trust placed in our Saviour who hears, loves and saves us. I saw the power of hope when I sat in a doctors office and the doctor asked me how I was going on my antidepressants. I told her that I wasn't taking them any more and hadn't been for over a year. She sounded very concerned and asked what I was taking instead and I told her I'm not taking anything anymore. I don't have depression anymore. She looked extremely puzzled as the medical world has no cure for depression and asked how this could be. I told her I was simply prayed for and God set me free in a single day. She asked if I was OK and I told her "no, I'm not OK, I'm far better than OK - my life has never ever been this good". Silence fell on the room and after a minute or so she looked at me again and said "I used to go to church when I was a little girl..." That day, that doctor called Sarah saw hope. It was something far more powerful than what she had in her life and the whole of her medical training had given her. It challenged her to question what she believed. Hope is the horn of war. It is the voice that yells into the darkness "Wake Up!!!" Can you hear it? Hope is here. His Name is Jesus. He's the answer to it all. He is called the Hope of Nations.
[ In His name the nations will put their hope. - Matthew 12:21 ]
Then that day - when my pride had finally died - Jesus met me right when I needed Him. He came and literally ripped out of me what didn't belong. With His strong arm He tore from me the unwanted guest that lived in me - death itself. That day I was set free. Everything changed and I mean EVERYTHING. The pain died that day in a tremendous way. My eyes were opened. I now knew the truth. I now knew His power and His authority. I now knew what He could really do. I knew what I was and know what I am now - a free man. All because of Him. Now - I have hope. So what is hope? Hope is expectancy placed on One who is faithful and mighty to save. Hope is believing in the One who loves us, hears us and fights for us. I now have hope because of what Jesus did for me. He changed me forever and set me free from all the pain and death that tormented me and that made my life a living hell. I have hope because of my King and what He can do. I also learnt that hope is as weapon. A truly powerful weapon that is transferable to others. If you give yourself to hope you are given the power to lift and help others fight in their battles.
Hope is so much more than just a sentiment, so much more than just a feeling, so much more than just a wish. It's the expectant trust placed in our Saviour who hears, loves and saves us. I saw the power of hope when I sat in a doctors office and the doctor asked me how I was going on my antidepressants. I told her that I wasn't taking them any more and hadn't been for over a year. She sounded very concerned and asked what I was taking instead and I told her I'm not taking anything anymore. I don't have depression anymore. She looked extremely puzzled as the medical world has no cure for depression and asked how this could be. I told her I was simply prayed for and God set me free in a single day. She asked if I was OK and I told her "no, I'm not OK, I'm far better than OK - my life has never ever been this good". Silence fell on the room and after a minute or so she looked at me again and said "I used to go to church when I was a little girl..." That day, that doctor called Sarah saw hope. It was something far more powerful than what she had in her life and the whole of her medical training had given her. It challenged her to question what she believed. Hope is the horn of war. It is the voice that yells into the darkness "Wake Up!!!" Can you hear it? Hope is here. His Name is Jesus. He's the answer to it all. He is called the Hope of Nations.
[ In His name the nations will put their hope. - Matthew 12:21 ]
