"May the God of hope fill you all joy and peace as you trust in him,
so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit."
I read this first thing this morning.
I breathed it in along with my coffee, and then I raced forward through my day.
It was an interesting day. Thought provoking. I am working on discerning what God would have me do for Him during this coming season of my life. I have started knocking on some doors, trusting that He will open the ones He wills. For the greater part of the day, I felt empowered, hopeful, intrigued, and up for the challenge - whatever that may be.
This evening I went to my Bible study.
Two things happened:
- I felt God asking me to close a door. No questions asked. No plan for the next step. Just close a door and trust. I felt excited. I also felt concern - will Chad be supportive? Am I hearing correctly? What other implications will this closed door have? What if. . .? I also felt hopeful and resigned to His will.
- Moments later, I was filled with deep dark fear, in a way I have never experienced before. It washed over me like a heavy leaden blanket. It was directed toward the baby I am carrying. Impending doom filled me heart and soul. I have never felt a fear of that sort before. It was truly horrifying.
I prayed my way home. Asking God to prepare us, Chad, the kids, and I, for whatever may come. Praying that no matter what is to come that He will be glorified and we will be faithful.
Then I got home, and sat down to blog - wishing to keep my commitment to adore Him daily this month.
And I had the incredible privilege of being reminded that He is the God of Hope.
His word washed over me. "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."
Father God, the way You reveal Yourself never ceases to amaze me. I am totally in awe of the way You chose to fill me with hope and reassurance this evening. I trust you. I choose to find peace and joy in You always. You truly fill me with overflowing hope at times, and in ways that could never be possible without your Spirit living in me. It is just so crazy amazing. Thank you for being the Author of my story. Thank you for filling each page with hope - not as the world hopes, but with the deep lasting true hope, true joy and true peace that only You can bring. And thank you, Creator, for the baby that even this very moment is kicking and squirming inside my womb, blessing me with yet another reminder of the miraculous hope that You create.
