When Needs Become Demands

Undertaking a new project must include a list of priorities to ensure there will be the means for seeing the project through to completion. Each advancement should safeguard this objective. Human beings structure their lives around important needs, but our spiritual need to be connected with God should supersede all others.

Needs that are anchored in hope strive to be satisfied at some level. One thing parents have in their favor is children’s need to please their parents. On occasions, this need may produce conflict. However, if a need evolves into a demand, it's analogous to saying, "I have this need and you had better fulfill it!”

If a humble and prayerful petition to God becomes a demand, he may comply with that demand, but withhold his blessing so the demand becomes oppositional to what is needed. Jesus reminds us that God knows our needs before we ask, and he desires to fulfill our needs. What a wonderful blessing to trust and rest in that knowledge.  

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Your heavenly Father already knows perfectly well what you need, and he will [fulfill your needs] if you give him first place in your life and live as he wants you to.

~Matthew 6:32-33 The Living Bible

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Priorities and Pleasing God

The main task in life for most people is to get their needs met. Those needs usually include providing for the family and excelling in a profession. Of course there are other needs that are defined as priorities. Establishing priorities sets the standard for achievement and success. Priorities define purpose and hope for the future.

Most people’s priority is to please others if only to ensure peace and avoid conflict, which may inadvertently cause anguish and frustration. When pleasing others is healthy, it builds mutual respect because different opinions and perceptions are stimulating and enjoyable.

The Gospels indicate Jesus did not avoid conflict completely; neither did he instigate it unnecessarily. His intention was to please, and that was most of the time. Most everyone wants to please because to do so is rewarding. When we strive to please our heavenly Father, we experience joy. Proverbs 17:22 reminds us, “A joyful heart is good medicine.”                          

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You can see that I am not trying to please you by sweet talk and flattery; no, I am trying to please God. If I were still trying to please men, I could not be Christ’s servant.

~Galatians 1:10 The Living Bible

 

When the way you live pleases the Lord, he makes even your enemies be at peace with you.

~Proverbs 16:7 New International Reader’s Version

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Hope: A Neccesity Now and in the Future

Hope is essential for building a bridge to a productive, fulfilling future because hope is necessary for getting started and bringing to fulfillment most goals and plans. Hope is the secret that makes the future appealing and something to be pursued.

On the other hand, Proverbs 13:12 notes, "Hope deferred makes the heart sick." This implies that hope is essential to possessing a positive attitude now and in the future. What causes hope to be put on hold is negative thinking created by discouragement as well as the inclination to give up on what was important and significant.

The second part of verse 12 has this to say, "When hopes and dreams are realized, life is energized with joy and strength." Isn't that an interesting observation? Hope revives the heart and gives it strength. That inner strength makes it possible to overcome discouragement. Proverbs defines wisdom as a tree of life that gives vitality to hope now and in the future throughout your life.

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Hope that is put off makes one sick at heart. But a longing that is met is like a tree of life.

~Proverbs 13:12 New International Reader’s Version

 

Let your unfailing love surround us, Lord, for our hope is in you alone.

Psalm 33:22 New Living Translation

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Hidden Briar Patches

 When the problems of life become prolonged and intense, it’s not unusual to wish for a way to escape. Life isn’t always a rose garden but includes briar patches, which prick the skin and create pain. An emotional briar patch filled with anger or hurt feelings is the source for prolonged grief and unhappiness.

The idea of secret keeping alludes to what is beyond exposure because of embarrassment, fear, or shame. Secret sins rooted in evil mean that unconfessed guilt must wait for disclosure and punishment. Yet  some secrets are enjoyed, but nothing can be kept from God no matter how deeply buried they may be.

Listen to Jeremiah 23. "Can anyone hide in a secret place so I cannot see him? Do I not fill heaven and earth?" Forgiveness and cleansing are available when you place your life into God’s hands, for he is your place of safety. Entrust your complete self beneath his love and mercy where hope and security are readily available.  

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Nothing is hidden from God! He sees through everything, and we will have to tell him the truth.

~Hebrews 4:13 Contemporary English Version

 

He who conceals his transgressions will not prosper, but he who confesses and turns away from his sins will find compassion and mercy.

~Proverbs 28:13 Amplified Bible 

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Secret, Sinful Mindset? Seek God's Restoration

Children learn at an early age that secret keeping is a part of play. There are particular family secrets children are told to guard at all costs. It’s evident that some secrets can produce lasting negative consequences to family members. A number of secrets may be necessary for a family to keep functioning or for personal well-being.

Everyone has unacceptable secret thoughts that are kept active because they’re enjoyed. It's analogous to having an argument with another person, only in your thoughts. Negative self-talk may be created by anger or bitterness but restrained from being verbalized.

Psalm 90:8 is clear: It’s impossible to hide your thoughts from God. As creator, he knows your thoughts can be harmful emotionally even when there are no social consequences. Secret sinful thoughts can become a hope-crusher when permitted to remain unconfessed and unforgiven. So seek God while he may be found, and permit him to restore your soul and heal your infirmities.

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You have set our sins in front of you. You have set our secret sins in the light of your presence.

~Psalm 90:8 God’s Word Translation

Seek God while he’s to be found, pray to him while he’s close at hand. Let the wicked abandon their way of life and the evil their way of thinking. Let them come back to God, who is merciful, come back to our God who is lavish with forgiveness.  

~Isaiah 55:6-7 The Message

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Live Above Evil's Bridge of Destruction

During war, however war is defined, the moral underpinnings of a nation are put to the test. War presents opportunities for the highest moral character to be exercised. At the other end of the spectrum, a corrupt person choses to live outside of Christian values and ethics because what is hoped for is beyond what God will bless.

Those who have no hope in God depend solely on their intelligence, and even deception, to succeed. Realistic, healthy hope does not anchor its roots in deception and falsehood. God calls everyone to live above evil. Evil builds a bridge to destruction and isolation that separates evildoers from the presence of Christ Jesus.

Evil offers no realistic hope that will endure. We are admonished then to turn from evil and put on righteousness by entrusting our lives into God’s protection and provision. By believing and trusting in Christ Jesus, we put on a new life that overcomes sin by God’s power within us. That is wonderful news.  

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If you want to enjoy life and see many happy days, keep your tongue from speaking evil any your lips from telling lies. Turn away from evil and do good. Search for peace, and work to maintain it. The eyes of the Lord watch over those who do right, and his ears are open to their prayers. But the Lord turns his face against those who do evil.  

~1 Peter 3:10-12 New Living Translation

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Confession Leads to Hope

It's been said that troubles come in batches, but for those whose hope is in the Lord God, grace and mercy are provided for withstanding the turmoil of the darkest night. However, for those who choose to be morally corrupt and live outside of what God will bless, pain and suffering are most often experienced as a consequence of living beyond God’s provision and protection.

What would prompt anyone to make such choices? Foolishness – along with a lack of faith, selfishness, and greed fed by wanting what’s beyond one’s financial, social, and spiritual boundaries. Another reason arises when the toil and burdens of life become overwhelming yet still must be endured.

What hope is there for those who permit corruption to fill their lives? God’s word tells us if we confess our sins, he forgives and cleanses us from all unrighteousness. Saint Augustine wrote, “The confession of evil works is the beginning of good works.” When confession is sincere, hope for God’s mercy and pardon are assured.  

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What happiness for those whose guilt has been forgiven! What joys when sins are covered over! What relief for those who have confessed their sins and God has cleared their record…Many sorrows come to the wicked, but abiding love surrounds those who trust in the Lord.  

~Psalm 32:1-2,10 The Living Bible

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Keeping Hope Alive

Realistic hope is never passive even as it is forced to wait patiently for fulfillment. Hope is always coupled to a plan for what can be achieved. Creativity, challenging work, and alertness to opportunities are key factors for hope to be realized. These attributes nurture expectations that keep hope alive.

Hope is the door to opportunity, yet it embraces some degree of risk and disappointment. The very nature of hope projects uncertainty because what is hoped for cannot be seen. However, hope for the future can’t help but raise expectations for something good to be experienced.

For hope to be realistic and healthy it must be grounded in positive good for oneself and others. Romans 12:12 gives these instructions: “Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction and faithful in prayer. Share with God’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality.” Be alert for opportunities to exercise your faith in Christ Jesus which brings hope for fulfillment.  

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The Spirit makes us sure about what we will be in the future. But now we groan silently, while we wait for God to show that we are his children. This means that our bodies will also be set free. And this hope is what saves us. But if we already have what we hope for, there is no need to keep on hoping. However, we hope for something we have not yet seen, and we patiently wait for it.

~Romans 8:23-25 Contemporary English Version

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A Song in the Darkest Night

Goodness, kindness, and joy are close companions, and to possess these attributes gives evidence that hope for the future resides within the heart and soul of the possessor. We live in a time of uncertainty, so the natural response is to become self-protective coupled with anxiety, which is often expressed as anger.

This was Job's reaction when his world collapsed, causing incredible grief. His friends encouraged him to focus on the Lord God "who gives a song in the darkest night." Job’s friends were not discounting his sorrow but reminding him there is joy in knowing God cares, which provides hope for a brighter day.

When God's goodness and faithfulness reside in you, worry and fear are reduced because God is in charge of what you cannot control. Listen to God’s reassuring words. “For I have not given you’re a spirit of fear, but of love, power, and a sound mind.” It’s possible to have hope for the future when the presence of God resides in you.  

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May the Lord show his constant love during the day, so that I may have a song at night, a prayer to the God of my life. Why am I so sad? Why am I so troubled? I will put my hope in God, and once again I will praise him, my Savior and my God.  

~Psalm 42: 8,11 Good News Bible

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Hope in Christ – A Hiding Place in Storms

Some people say life is a fight for survival. Ernest Hemingway struggled with depression but lost the fight. His grandfather also lost that battle. Without hope, the future looks dark, but Lamentations 3:24 offers encouragement. "The Lord is all I have so I will put my hope in him. He is good to those who trust him."

Hope nourishes the soul as food energizes and strengthens the body. When God is your source for hope, it is important to wait for him because he always arrives on time and is never late. When hope is your hiding place, the troubles of life cannot defeat you.

When I was a child, my parents would bundle us up and run for the storm cellar when the weather became dangerous. We were hiding from the storm, but that cellar gave hope for protection and safety as the storm raged outside. Hope in Christ Jesus is a secure hiding place from which nothing can separate us. Praise God for that blessing!

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You are my hiding place! You protect me from trouble, and you put songs in my heart because you have saved me.

~Psalm 32:7 Contemporary English Version

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Finding Comfort in Hope

It would be regrettable for a person to go through life and never experience grief and sadness because that person would never know what it means to be comforted. Jesus acknowledged, "Blessed are those who mourn for they shall be comforted." Isaiah identified Jesus as "a man of sorrows, acquainted with grief."

Jesus experienced great sorrow as he faced what lay in store for him on the cross. Yet it is difficult for us to heal from grief when memories of great loss keep surfacing. Jeremiah endorsed this truth but confirmed that hope and comfort are also available.

Listen to Jeremiah's words. "When I remember my affliction and bitterness my soul is downcast. Yet, then I remember the Lord’s great love and I have hope because I am not crushed. His compassions never fail. They are new every morning. Great is His faithfulness." When memories of the past renew sorrow and grief in you, quickly recall the compassion God extends to you through Christ Jesus and rejoice.  

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Remember your promise to me, your servant; it has given me hope. Even in my suffering I was comforted, [Lord], because your promise gave me life.

~Psalm 119:49-50 Good News Bible

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Learning the Value of Hope

 Most college students living away from home eventually learn to correctly manage their time and finances. One student revealed how he had neglected balancing his bank account and had to enact severe controls until his parents made a deposit. He related how just the thought of a particular food that he had to survive on during that time still makes him sick.

That experience taught him the value of hope. He learned that hope depends on setting boundaries to curb carelessness. This student’s hope was in his parents' love that allowed him to face hard lessons in life. 1 Corinthians 13 is encouraging. "Love always trusts, always hopes, and always perseveres."

Realistic hope is anchored in faith and trust. This means hope believes there are solutions to life’s hardships and problems. To have hope is to know that you have a hiding place from the storms of life. Like the prophet Jeremiah, you can proclaim, "I will put my hope in the Lord God...for he is faithful and never fails."  

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Let us hold tightly without wavering to the hope we affirm, for God can be trusted to keep his promise.

~Hebrews 10:23 New Living Translation

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