Hope – Look Up, Look Beyond
Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. Romans 15:13 NKJV.
- overflow with hope NIV
- overflow with confident hope NLT
- radiate with hope! TPT
The photo above is one I took of a sunrise at the place we’re staying during the lockdown because of the COVID-19 pandemic. A sunrise is charged with the promise of a new day. It is a reminder of the day ahead and the hope it contains. God’s timing is amazing; we saw this sunrise during the darkest days of the lockdown.
At this time as we are dealing with the effects of the pandemic, we need hope. And its there. It’s time for hope to grow in our hearts. There is a great deal of fear in people’s hearts. Fear paralyses, but hope mobilises. Fear is deceptive. Hope brings clarity and comes from the Holy Spirit.
God ministered to Abram in a unique way to get him to see not from a human point of view, but to see what God sees. There had been strife between the herdsmen of Lot and Abram. Now free of that strife, God shows Abram (before he became Abraham) the vision of the land, and He reiterates the promise He would make his descendants as the dust of the earth, (Genesis 13:16).
And the Lord said to Abram, AFTER Lot had separated from him: “Lift your eyes now and look from the place where you are … Genesis 13:14 NKJV (Emphasis added).
God wanted Abram to move, so the first thing He does is to say; ”… lift up your head, have a look, see, from where you are, to, where I want you to be”. But note that this was after Lot had gone his way.
When Abram left Haran Lot went with him. (Genesis 12:1). But should he have? Lot’s name means covering, veil. It was not until Lot had gone his way that Abram could at last SEE!
When we are FREE we can SEE!
Maybe Lot was a veil, a covering, a blockage to Abram’s vision. Maybe Lot should never have been with Abram. Are you and I free to see?
What veil, blockage, baggage and burdens, attitudes, covering and character traits, sorrows and sins, frustrations and fears, pain, problems, time-stealers, troubles, or disappointments, are there in our life that veils what God wants us to see?
What, or who, do we need to separate from to be free to see? Be free from all the distractions that would stop us from seeing all that God wants us to see.
The thing is, when we’re under pressure in a time of trial, with an unclear future, we tend to look down.
If you look down you will be defeated. Looking down magnifies the dust (curse) of the earth. It sees the mire and the mud and the drudgery of life without hope and without God.
If you look around you will be distracted and discouraged. By looking around we tend see the troubles people are in, the fear, the hopelessness gripping their lives.
If you look up you’ll have direction. Look up and beyond the challenges, you will see God above it all. You’ll see hope! You’ll have direction. You have to look up to see the sunrise, the hope and possibilities and potential of the new day. In the same way when you look up, we see Jesus! Look to a Sonrise in your life!
I am sure many of us feel like this at times;
We wish there was a special Help key on our computer. Which would instantly bring results. Immediately help would come. Without any delay our answer would arrive!
The writer to the Hebrews encourages us in this regard. Looking unto Jesus! Hebrews 12:2 (NKJV).
So instead of looking down, instead of trying to keep calm, there is a better way. It is to look up! To look up to Jesus. To Keep your eyes on Jesus. (Message Bible). Or Fixing our eyes on Jesus. (NIV).
Don’t look down, look up!
Let’s not forget a couple of amazing truths from today’s text for this BriefWord, (Romans 15:13).
Firstly, He is … the God of hope …
We do well to remember when we’re in prayer, when we’re in praise, and when we’re hard pressed on every side, the attributes of God. He is the God of hope. He is the foundation on which our hope is built, and he is also the builder of that hope. He is the object of our hope, and the author of it. Hope that is not anchored in God and His Word will deceive us.
Remember the word to Your servant, Upon which You have caused me to hope. Psalm 119:49 NKJV.
God’s Word to us revives, energises and inspires, when all around us is the opposite.
No God ⇒ no hope. Know God ⇒ know Hope.
Secondly, … abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit …
The Holy Spirit in our life is the greatest source of hope. He is the Spirit of Truth. He is the Spirit of Counsel. He is the Spirit of Peace. He is the Prophetic Spirit. Real hope, springs from a communion, from an infilling of Him and a connection to Him. Despite the current atmosphere, we can overflow, and abound, in the Hope God gives.
The coronavirus doesn’t rule the world, God does. The coronavirus is temporary, God is eternal! The coronavirus is shifting sand, God and His Word is an immoveable rock!
Don’t look down – that leads to defeat. Don’t look around — that leads to distraction and discouragement. Look up to Jesus — that leads to direction, hope, confidence, clarity.
- overflow with hope NIV
- overflow with confident hope NLT
- radiate with hope! TPT
Recent times may be a season of transition into a new season. That allows us to get a new perspective on what’s really important. The old normal is giving way to a new normal. Things will be different. But where there is life (in Christ) there is hope!
There’s a new day coming for you! For your business. For your family. For your ministry. Look up. Look to Jesus. Look to His Word. Look to the source of Hope! A Sonrise is coming!
Can you please help?
In preparation for BriefWord #100, coming out next month, I’d love to hear from you! You can contact me at stephen@goodwords.nz Let me know what BriefWord means to you. How has it helped? What’s the best thing about it to you? What do you enjoy about it? Thank you!
