Day 17
Faith is the Hope of Future Joy
Now faith is a confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.
Hebrews 11:1
Faithfulness comes from a place of trust that God will do as He says He will and from a hope in knowing God works all things out for His good.
There was a time in my life when God called me to do something hard, and it was completely out of my comfort zone. In my humanness, I thought my obedience would mean the situation would play out with the storybook ending I had in my head. It did not. I immediately turned to the Lord with my hurt and frustration where He so gently reminded me that He had called me to obedience and faithfulness and did not call me to be in charge of the outcome.
I learned that when I focus on success being the outcome that I desire, I might miss out on the blessing of being faithful. If I look at my expectations as the goal, I might miss sight of the faithfulness of God.
I have been praying a specific prayer for about seven years. While I am not seeing the answer that I want, I do know that God hears my prayers, and He is moving in ways that I may not fully understand or may not fully know at this present moment. What I do know is the Lord holds this prayer and the future in His hands, and I can continue to have faith knowing His Will prevails. Therein lies my hope for a future joy!
Hebrews 12:2 says, “fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before Him He endured the cross…”
There must be a joy that comes from faithfulness in the hard —perhaps an even deeper and greater joy than when faithfulness and our version of success go hand-in-hand. Think about the hard situations that require faithfulness: perseverance in a difficult marriage, parenting a teen or young adult who has gone astray, caring for aging parents, or dealing with conflict with friends or family. It isn’t fun to dwell on these things, but faithfulness in these types of circumstances produces something good.
FURTHER REFLECTION:
Think about the ways you are showing your faithfulness to God. Is there anything getting in the way of your faithfulness? What areas of your life have you not given over to Him?
PRAYER:
Lord, thank You for showing me how to be faithful through Your faithfulness toward me. Give me clarity when it is difficult to see how You are working. Help me to remember that Your ways are always for good. Help me to be faithful, not only when my life is difficult, but also when my circumstances are good. I know that the hope and faithfulness I place in You leads me to a future joy that can only come from You. Amen.
FOR FURTHER STUDY:
Jeremiah 29:11-12, Romans 15:13
by Jana Bearden