Hope And A Prayer – Or Sure Victory?

Do you find yourself more times than not limping through life, stressed out, holding on by a thread, living more on “a wing and a prayer,” wishing and hoping things will work out alright for you?

Or do you live with faith and trust, having hope and confidence that whatever happens, it is for the best, as God is a good God and knows where your life is going?

I don’t want you to just live a life wishing and hoping that everything will work out! My prayer is for you to live confidently and powerfully and enjoy the peace that comes from knowing the Who that your trust is placed in. That way your daily energy is not used up in worrying, but in being productive and present in life, even through challenging times.

Yes, we do need to live in hope, but not the wishing and hoping kind that feels lost and desperate. We need the kind of hope that inspires faith and confidence.

When the Bible uses the word “Hope” it means something different than our everyday use of the word. Hope in scriptural teachings is built on faith and trust and knowledge of the God we are serving. When we know who God is and have seen what he’s done in the past and what his promise is for us in the future, we know we can trust him along the way. So we put our “hope” in him. That really means our faith and trust.

It becomes a sure thing, as far as our ultimate destination (as a Christian, you know the end of the story). However, we are daily writing the pages in between, the chapters of our life. We can’t really see exactly how they integrate with his bigger plan and connection with others. God IS our hope, as we trust in his larger divine plan for us.

But if you are living in the ordinary way of thinking, with “a hope and a prayer,” you are not experiencing the fullness of all God has designed for you on a daily basis. With “a wing and a prayer,” you may feel you are just winging it, and you’re not at all sure where you’re going. You’re just doing the best you can and hoping for everything to work out. It certainly will, one way or the other, even if you fall flat on your face along the way! Even if you do, those challenges bring learning and growth. With each one, you are further along and in a different place along your path with a new perspective.

People usually vocalize the expression “a hope and prayer” with a sigh, when they are feeling at the end of themselves, hanging by a thread, frustrated and discouraged, and tired of trying to figure out what to do next, besides wringing their hands and giving up.

My hope and prayer for you today is that you will step up to Hope in God and live your daily life from that confident place. Breathe out the old stale air of a sigh, as you breathe in new life and hope in the One who knows you and loves you. Act on what you know based on WHO you know and what promises of good things he has in store to unfold and reveal day by day as you step out in that faith.

If you’d like to drill down a little bit more on the meaning and use of “hope” in the Bible, here are a few quick passages for your inspiration. Just click on each reference to open them up in a separate window.  Psalm 31:24    Romans 15:13   Colossians 1:27   Hebrews 11:1   1 Peter 3:15