Category Archives: wait training

November 28, 2015

30 Days of Hopeful: Day 10

By marilynnchadwick

I’m glad you’ve joined us for 30 Days of Hopeful. Perhaps life is hard for you right now–you’re struggling to find hope.  When all seems hopeless, I find encouragement from others who have passed through the furnace and come forth with faith shining. Their stories inspire me to hold onto my hope. I want to share one such story with you.  My friend Ange loves to encourage others with her story of hope.

I met Ange during one of my first missions trips to Rwanda and Burundi. Most everyone I met was a genocide survivor with a hard story to tell. But it was Ange’s journey of agony-turned-into-hope that inspired me most.

Ange was in high school when genocide broke out in Rwanda in 1994. She and fiancé, Emanuel, fled on foot to the neighboring Congo. They married and had baby Edna. The brutal war spilled over into the Congo. Soldiers attacked their refugee camp and Emanuel and Ange, with eighteen-month-old Edna on her back, ran terrified into the forest. They became separated as they fled for their lives.  A few days later while Ange was gathering firewood, soldiers kidnapped little Edna.

Ange ran frantically through the forest searching for the soldiers. She soon discovered the baby had become sick and died. Ange’s heart and her hope were shattered. She hid in the forest for weeks with no clean water, food, fire, or shelter. As she describes it, “It was like we were dead, but still living.”

Ange made her way to Kenya with the help of a relief organization, still searching for her husband. She cried out, “Oh God, You know that my beloved first born was taken away. And you know how I could be happy if I could find my beloved husband! Please Lord I hope you have not forgotten me.” Ange continued to seek God’s purpose for her own life while she waited for her dream to be fulfilled. Sensing a call ministry, she began attending Bible college in Kenya.  God gave Ange hope, encouraging her with these words:

We rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance, perseverance, character; and character hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out His love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom He has given us (Romans 5:3-5). 

Ange continues her story, “One day, I received the amazing news that my husband was alive! It was like a dream!!! We stayed up all night praising and thanking God!” So, after eight long years, Ange and Emanuel were reunited in Burundi. God soon blessed them with a baby boy they called Cherubim. When I first heard Ange’s story, she had just given birth to twins Joshua and Geoffrey.

Ange shares from her heart: “We have nothing to give our Lord for what He has done for us, so we give Him our thanks: Sacrifice thank offerings to God, fulfill your vows to the Most High, and call upon me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you and you will honor me (Psalm 50:14-15).”

Ange loves to encourage others to hold onto hope when times look darkest. I hope you will be strengthened by her story and her prayer for you: “May God bless you and help you to be patient in every situation you may pass through. Glory be to the Lord JESUS. Amen!”

2 Comments   |  tags: , , | posted in Begin the Journey, hopes and dreams, Praise and Thanksgiving, wait training

November 25, 2015

30 Days of Hopeful: Day 7

By marilynnchadwick

Did you know that hope can help you last long and finish strong? The Bible talks a lot about hope and its power to help us endure. Paul writes to the church in Thessalonica: “We remember before our God and Father your work produced by faith, your labor prompted by love, and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Thess. 1:3).

Turns out there’s some research to back up the importance of hope to our survival. A study that took place in the 1950’s showed how hope helped laboratory rats persevere in a stressful situation. The group of rats were purportedly placed in a vat of water and swam for about fifteen minutes to the point of exhaustion and near drowning. They were rescued, dried off, fed, and allowed to recover, before being placed in the water again. This time, they kept swimming in the water for many hours before becoming exhausted and needing to be rescued again. Apparently, the rats sensed if they could be rescued once, they could be rescued again—thus giving them hope to endure.

The human version of hope, of course, runs much deeper. It was God Himself who placed the need for hope in our hearts. In fact, He is referred to as the “God of Hope”(Romans 15:13).  It makes sense that the Bible would remind us of how our endurance is “inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.”

The Bible also encourages us to wait for hope—and this takes perseverance. “But if we hope for what we do not see, we eagerly wait for it with endurance” (Romans 8:25 NET).

What does it mean to wait for hope with endurance?  We discover an interesting secret by looking at the Greek word translated “endure,” hypomeno.  It actually comes from two words:  hypo or “under” and meno or “abide.”  Meno is the same word Jesus uses when He encourages us to abide in him (John 15:7).  So hypomeno, or endure is to “abide under” a time of trial as we wait for hope.

Friend, I don’t know what kind of trial you may be facing today. And I don’t know the dream you hold so dear in your heart. But what I do know is that abiding in Jesus can bring hope–and hope can inspire you to keep enduring while you wait.

So my prayer for you today is simply this: “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit” (Romans 15:13).

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November 23, 2015

30 Days of Hopeful: Day 5

By marilynnchadwick

Sometimes I make the mistake of thinking that hope comes through self-effort. That it’s up to me to keep hope alive. That I’m the one holding onto my hope. But God’s Word reminds me that hope actually holds onto me. Hebrews 6:19 puts it this way: “We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure.” Last time I checked, it’s the anchor that does the holding. Not the boat.

That’s good news. Especially when we’re exhausted by overwork, disappointment, or grief. Life hurts. And we all become battle weary at times. Humans are not machines—we have our limits. “Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall” (Isaiah 40:31).

That said, let’s remember that hope is not passive. We don’t get to simply numb out, give up, walk away from God and expect Him to come running after us to revive our hope.

No…I need to trust God, even when I no longer trust myself. Rest in Him and wait upon Him.  Hope in Him, especially when I don’t have the strength to fight any more. “But those who wait for the Lord [who expect, look for, and hope in Him] will gain new strength and renew their power; They will lift up their wings [and rise up close to God] like eagles [rising toward the sun]; They will run and not become weary, They will walk and not grow tired (Isaiah 40:31 AMP).

Just what does it look like to wait for the Lord? It could mean that I simply rest for a while. Or take baby steps out of my exhaustion to listen to praise music; or soak in the promises in God’s Word; or go for a walk and breathe in His beauty.  Perhaps I share His love with one who’s broken.

I might even turn aside from my dream for a little while, but only after placing it squarely into God’s hands for safekeeping. I call this my time to “pray and walk away.” Just for a season. What’s more, God promises He’ll give me new strength to mount up on wings like an eagle.

But until strength comes, I can rest secure knowing that if my dream is truly from God, He won’t let it go. And He won’t let me go. He won’t let my hope die—for He gave it to me as the anchor for my soul.

1 Comment   |  tags: , , , , , , | posted in hopes and dreams, Praise and Thanksgiving, wait training

November 22, 2015

30 Days of Hopeful-Day 4

By marilynnchadwick

We wait in hope for the LORD (Psalm 33:20). 

I’m glad you’ve joined us for 30 Days of Hopeful.   I am always on the lookout for secrets when it comes to learning to persevere with hope.  My greatest lessons have not come through discipline or fervor—but rather through weakness. I’ve often shared how I learned to hold onto hope when my husband and I battled through years of infertility before our children were born.

Waiting for the deepest longings of our heart is not what I’d call fun. Many of you know what I’m talking about. Perhaps you have prayed and prayed about something. You’ve heard God whisper to you to keep believing. And yet the answer still hasn’t come.

But a time of waiting can become a season when our “hope muscles” have a chance to grow. The Bible gives plenty of encouragement about how to wait with hope:  “We wait in hope for the Lord; he is our help and our shield. In him our hearts rejoice, for we trust in his holy name. May your unfailing love be with us, Lord,  even as we put our hope in you” (Psalm 33:20-22).

During my season of waiting, I learned to strengthen myself on the promises of God’s Word. I held tightly to verses about healing—too many to count—day after day, month after month, year after year. I learned to hear God’s whispers of encouragement and trust His character, even when my circumstances seemed hopeless. In short, I gained strength through the secret of what the apostle John called “abiding in Christ” (John 15:7).

If you’re in your own waiting room right now, be encouraged by the words of 19th century preacher, Charles Spurgeon: “The longer the blessing is in coming, the richer it will be when it arrives. That which is gained speedily by a single prayer is sometimes only a second-rate blessing; but that which is gained after many a desperate tug and many an awful struggle is a full-weighted and precious blessing.” 

So wait with hope, dear friend.  Your blessing my be nearer than you can imagine.

 

 

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November 21, 2015

30 Days of Hopeful: Day 3

By marilynnchadwick

Lord, in the morning you hear my voice. In the morning I pray to you. I wait for you in hope (Psalm 5:3).

Welcome to Day 3 of 30 Days of Hopeful. Perhaps you have a hope or dream that has been a long time in coming. Seems like waiting for our heart’s desire is just part of being human.

If we are followers of Christ, we can be sure that the Lord is aware of our deepest longings.  Jesus reminds us that our heavenly Father already knows what we need even before we ask Him (Matthew 6:32).

What’s more, if we are truly seeking Him with our whole heart—and if our dream lines up with God’s Word—most likely, it was put there by God himself.

I want to remind you that our heavenly Father is kind and loving. And while there’s no guarantee that we get everything we desire—not even good earthly parents give their children everything they want—our heavenly Father delights in giving His children good gifts.

The Bible makes several bold promises:

-Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights (James 1:17).

-No good thing does God withhold from those who walk uprightly (Psalm 84:11).

-Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart (Psalm 37:4).

-Seek first the Kingdom, and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you (Matthew 6:33)

But our dreams usually don’t come without a fight. Holding onto hope can be an uphill climb. It’s a muscular journey—this thing we call hope—and not for the faint of heart. One way I’ve learned to condition myself for the climb is to come to the Lord often and early. I agree with the Psalmist:

“Lord, in the morning you hear my voice. In the morning I pray to you. I wait for you in hope” (Psalm 5:3 NIRV).  Another version puts it this way: “Listen to my voice in the morning, Lord. Each morning I bring my requests to you and wait expectantly” (Psalm 5:3 NLT).

Hope comes with a risk, as all who would warn us point out. “Be careful. Don’t get your hopes too high,” they caution. But I would rather risk the disappointment of high hopes than live in the valley of low expectations. Let’s dare to seek God wholeheartedly. To dream big dreams. To wait expectantly—with hope.

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