Be strong and courageous…The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. (Deuteronomy 31:6, 8 NIV)
Moses was 120 years old when he told this to Joshua, and gave quite the pep talk to Joshua, who was taking on the not inconsequential responsibility of leading the Israelites. Can you imagine the pressure of leadership of a nation in the wilderness, facing enemies left and right, dissension from within the nation, and following in the footsteps of a hero?
These words, Moses’ words, are the words we must remember in our hearts as well. It’s easy for our hopes and dreams to be crushed when we weather the storm alone.
I heard on the radio the other day that God is like the sun: He is always present, even behind storm clouds. I’d like to go even further by saying that He shines above even hurricanes…but from the ground, all we see–even when looking skyward–is chaos and destruction.
I am learning this firsthand. In the vestiges of my old, pre-believer mind, I survey my current circumstances and see no outcome but a bleak and painful one.
But guess what? All storms pass…even hurricanes. And the sun shines through it all. He is always there, even when we don’t see Him, or even when we forget Him because we get so distracted by our storms. And His promises are surer than anything of this world. So, for us, being hopeful dreamers isn’t fruitless or futile. He hears our cries and prayers. His plans for us are good, and we trust in His steadfast faithfulness.
So, hang onto His promises and His unyielding support. Hold onto hope and your dreams. He’s listening, and is right there with you through every storm.
Pocket Fuel‘s “Hopeless Belief” asks us what we want to do when things seem hopeless:
Are you going to give up on believing? Or is it worth enough to keep believing for instead? To keep searching for that little glimmer of hope and light?
Or are you content with the dark? Leaving your dreams and desires in a room where they’ll never see the light of day.
1 Comment
1 Pingback