Today at church I heard one of the BEST sermons EVER!! Pastor Russ talked to us about HOPE...what it means, why we should have it, and where we can find it in the Bible. I left the sermon feeling rejuvenated, inspired, and FULL of HOPE!
We first learned the difference between faith and hope. Faith is affirming something that you already know is true. For example, I have faith that God loves me...I know that's true. On the other hand, hope is believing in something that you don't have yet (key word...YET). For example, I have hope that one day we will become parents.
Pastor Russ gave us so many verses to read and study today...but I'll give you the ones that really touched my heart the most.
Romans 8:20-30
"...for if you already have something, you don't need to hope for it. But if we look forward to something we don't have yet, we must wait patiently and confidently."
"...and the Father who knows all hearts knows what the Spirit is saying, for the Spirit pleads for us believers in harmony with God's own will. And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to His purpose for them."
This verse is SO powerful to me!!
Romans 15:13
"So I pray that God, who gives you hope, will keep you happy and full of peace as you believe in Him. May you overflow with hope through the power of the Holy Spirit."
This verse confirms for me that although I have gone through the pain, frustrations, and disappointments of not having a child, He will see me THROUGH it. And He will give me peace as I continue to hope for that moment.
Genesis 41:50-52
"During this t ime, two sons were born to Joseph and his wife. Joseph named his older son Manasseh, for he said 'God has made me forget all my troubles.' Joseph named his second son Ephraim, for he said 'God has made me fruitful in this land during my suffering.' "
So although Jospeh had faced adversity over and over again, the birth of his sons made his suffering worth the wait. He also realized that God helped him during his suffering...not AFTER his suffering, but during.
I know many of us taking the journey through infertility have experienced moments of dissapointment, fright, and helplessness...but we must continue to pray that one day God will bless us with the babies we have hoped for.
9 comments:
Love This!!! Thank you so much for sharing. This is just what I needed right now.
Wow Lianna...that IS a great reminder! Thank you for sharing it with us! I am need to be encouraged to have HOPE!!!!
Hope is what we all cling to. It is our salvation at times, our belief in tomorrow and our prayer for the future. Believe!
Thanks for sharing this Lianna! It really makes me feel good.
Thanks also for the McLinky information. I will give it a try sometime this week. Tomorrow is my first offical day back to school, so things may be a little crazy this week.
Hope you have a good week!
Lisa :)
Loved this too! Thanks so much for sharing that with us! God is with us during our suffering!!! AMEN!!!
Great verses! Thanks for sharing.
Thank you! I needed that today!
Great post. A few months ago I heard a teaching on "hope". The literal translation is "confidant expectation". Now when I read a verse with the word hope in it I insert the word expectation/ expect. This difference is often huge. For example: I HOPE we will see you tomorrow. versus I EXPECT we will see you tomorrow. The teaching really ministered to me. I do not have to hope (our modern translation) that God's promises, blessings or purpose will be fulfilled in my life. Instead I have a confident expectation that they all will be fulfilled.
Hope you have a great start to the new school year. Blessing, my friend.
Lianna--thanks so much for sharing these words of wisdom from the sermon. Can't tell you how much I'm needing these verses and encouragements right now. I loved what your friend Julie (above) said about hope being an expectation. Wow. I also ordered the book Baby Hunger, and can't wait for it to arrive!!! Praying for you--praying that this cycle will be the one for you guys!!!!
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