Hope Deferred
It’s Sheila and John’s 10th wedding anniversary. They were grateful that God had kept them together for a decade, and they loved each other dearly. However, their hearts were weary. Sheila had suffered 5 miscarriages. Their hopes to carry a baby had been dashed 5 times. Still, they waited upon the Lord and held on to the truth that delay is not denial and that ‘the Lord is good to them who wait on Him’ (Lamentations 3:25). While waiting on the Lord, they faithfully supported the children’s ministry in the church. Teaching and caring for young people during Sunday School gave them much joy. They were committed to waiting patiently and serving in ways that brought true joy to their hearts. They wanted to wait well and make the most out of the wait. But a question lingered in their hearts and perhaps you have a similar question on your mind, “How long will this wait be?”.
Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a desire fulfilled is a tree of life. -Proverbs 13:12, ESV
Sheila’s and John’s story is familiar. We find ourselves waiting on God at the different seasons in life. From waiting to have a baby to getting a job, healing, receiving new opportunities in life, and the list is endless. From Proverbs 13:12, we see that hope deferred (delayed) can make your heart sick. Although hope can be deferred, it is important for hope not to be destroyed. Let’s take a look at some definitions.
According to Webster’s 1828 dictionary, hope is defined as ‘a desire of some good, accompanied with at least a slight expectation of obtaining it, or a belief that it is obtainable. It goes on to say that ‘hope differs from wish and desire in this, that it implies some expectation of obtaining the good desired or the possibility of possessing it’.
Hope is necessary to keep believing, and it’s okay to be delayed, but don’t let go of it. Let’s recall Hannah in the book of 1 Samuel. Year after year, she waited for a child. Yet, her hope remained, she was steadfast in prayer, and the Lord heard her. We can’t deny her heart wasn’t sick. We see the impact of the deferred hope in Hannah’s life. The Bible says the situation caused her to cry and refuse to eat (1 Samuel 1:7). As the book of Proverbs makes clear, we should understand that the natural outcome of delay is a sickness of the heart. But we can walk one step higher as people filled with the Holy Spirit. Please note I am not ignoring the empty feeling that permeates our hearts when we are kept waiting for what we desire. But what can we do with it? We can still have joy while our hope is deferred (See Are You Patient and Joyful?). So instead of focusing on the fact that our hope has been deferred, let’s renew our strength and focus on God because he is our ultimate hope.
According to Webster’s 1828 dictionary, to defer means ‘to delay; to put off; to postpone to a future time’. You never know how long you will be kept waiting, which scares us the most!
God is the giver of all good gifts (James 1:17, Psalm 84:11) and He decides when and who receives them. Therefore, instead of focusing on the gifts of His hands let’s focus on Him. By focusing on Him, we ensure that our hope doesn’t fade away but is continuously renewed.
“Remember not the former things, nor consider the things of old. Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.” Isaiah 43:18-19
Paths in the wilderness are unexpected. Rivers in the desert are unheard of. But that’s the God we serve; He makes the unexpected come to pass, and bring to reality that which is unheard of.
“Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead.” –Philippians 3:13, ESV
The key to holding on to these promises is to forget what lies behind you. When hope is deferred, the time you spend waiting is the most prominent item behind you. For some people, it’s days; for others, it’s decades. But if you keep your eyes on God’s promises, knowing that He will renew your strength, and having the assurance that He is able to do what no man can do, then victory is yours! Victory over a sick heart is not always about getting what you are waiting for but about your attitude while you wait.
“For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.” Jer. 29:11, ESV
God is good. He has a plan, and it is not for evil. Let this truth comfort your heart and heal the sickness caused by hope deferred.
