How Is Your Hope?

Okay so I overslept on this rainy Friday morning.  So that means Aiden-Rose overslept because I was supposed to wake her up so Daddy could take her to school.  He was out on his morning jog!  Wow was he motivated!  Me, well here I am at 11:00 in the morning with my second cup of coffee growing cold not quite as motivated in one way, but what an AWESOME devotion time I had this morning!

Our church is in the process of going through a "Reach the City" campaign.  (Check it out on the Web sometime...  http://www.reachthecity.com)  We have been challenged by our Pastor (MY FAVORITE PASTOR ever!) to participate in this awesome campaign and to read the book, "A Life that Wins" by Mike Holt.  I have to say it's a great book, and no this isn't a shameless plug for our friends book.  It really is good! (I will say here though for those from our church who may be reading this-Full Life Family DON"T forget to bring your book to our services.  There are fill-ins you are going to want to put in the book!)

For those of you who will actually stop and read this I have to share something that spoke to me today, and sorry Mike it wasn't from your book.  It was from THE BOOK! But your book "A Life That Win's" did spark this Blog!

Intercessory Prayer has become such an important part of our week at Full Life Church.  It's not just something we do on Tuesday.  We stop and pray for the needs of those on our list whenever they come to our thoughts throughout the week too.  I know it can get very discouraging for those who have been praying and praying for a need or a serious issue.  Been there, done that...and have several t-shirts!

When I was praying for a child it looked so hopeless at times. I mean having your husband die well you get my drift.  But I kept pressing on.  Believing more than anything that although GOD may not deliver HIS promise in the time or manner that I thought HE would...that eventually HE would give me the desires of my heart.  And HE did!  Yes...I experienced LOSS in the promise. Three babies I'd rather have here...but who I know are in heaven.  But WOW did GOD do a GREAT thing eventually. An AWESOME son who I am so proud of, and a very SWEET daughter who has me wrapped around her finger. (Daddy too, but don't tell him I said that!)

In my devotion today I read Micah 7:7.  "But as for me, I watch in hope for the Lord, I wait for God my Savior; my God will hear me!"  Did you read that...I watch in HOPE for the LORD! Not for the thing I want or need!  I'm waiting for GOD to show up and DELIVER hope to me and my situation! GOD WILL HEAR ME!  Now that's a promise!

Thinking about this verse brought me back to the darkest time of my life which oddly enough wasn't after the loss of my first love Rob.  (Don't get me wrong that was pretty dark.)  But I'm thinking more of the time I suffered my first miscarriage.  God had restored to me a family.  I had a beautiful home in Jacksonville Florida.  A wonderful Godly husband and a terrific four year old son I didn't even have to suffer labor or morning sickness for!  Still I was believing that God had told me I would have a child.  So how could he allow the promise to come and then take it from me?  For those who remember me during that time, well let's just say I wasn't my usual upbeat happy self.  I was full of sorrow.  How could God allow me to suffer another loss?  What was up?  

It wasn't until HE showed up with HOPE that I began to wait for HIM to SHOW up in my sorrow and NOT for HIM to answer my prayer!  Yup that's what I said!  I remember my son climbing up into my lap, wiping my tears away and saying, "Mommy please don't cry!  God told me we are going to have a baby and it's gonna be a girl!"

A voice of HOPE!  I began to see that there is a whole life to live.  People who care for me.  So many blessings that GOD has already given me.  Yes I still prayed and believed I'd actually have a child one day.  But my prayers were more focused on allowing GOD to love me through my sorrow. Allowing Him to be all that I needed.  I think sometimes we get so focused on getting an answer for our prayers that we don't just stop and rest in the fact that we are HIS kid's.  He wants to bless us!  He wants to give us the desires of our heart.  But He also knows what's up ahead of us.  He has a perfect time to answer your prayers.  He really does have it all under control.

I guess today I am asking you...How is Your Hope?  Are you praying that He will answer that prayer in the way you want HIM too?  Or are you watching and waiting in HOPE for the Lord to show up!  I know that for me it was a scary place to be.  Wondering if He would heal my first husband of cancer. Would I be alone again?  When Rob died I did think my life was over, but I remember digging into the Word of God and letting it SPEAK to me!  Remembering Rob's passion for the Lord I believed that my life wasn't over!  That God did still have plans for me.  When the answer is NO-there is STILL HOPE!

So for those of you who are waiting out there for God to answer or for Him to show up in your situation I say KEEP WATCHING IN HOPE!  (Yes...I'm thinking here of several on our Prayer List...and several friends in Ministry who have been waiting a while for God to hear and answer...) It's COMING!  Just keep waiting and watching with HOPE!  And for our dear friends who have been waiting on a building for their ministry...I just feel so strongly...IT"S coming!

And for those of you wondering how I could ever tie in a plug for the book "A Life That Win's", one of my "hinge" decisions was to start writing again! (Guess you will have to read the book to find out what a "hinge decision" is!)

Blessings ~ Gina