It’s interesting to watch a flock of birds line up on a telephone wire. They usually line up right next to each other until the line is full. After witnessing this recently, a friend commented that another little bird came in late. All the spaces were taken. Not franticly, but with positive persistence, the little one kept flying back and forth until the birds shifted and created a space for him to rest.
I can’t help but think about the events of my last year. It seemed there were so many things lined up for me to take care of, tackle, wade through, manage, and wrestle. Many days I wilted, to the point of ‘melt down’ just trying to stay afloat. I felt like that little bird who didn’t know where to rest; where to wiggle in or believe that I’d ever get through all the pages before me.
When we struggle like this, sometimes we also end up struggling with our faith; especially when we don’t feel like we’re getting anywhere. But like the tiny bird, eventually we get to rest. It doesn’t mean the battle is over. It just means for the moment we can collect our thoughts, renew our spirit and start over with new hope and faith!
In a world where disappointments seem to thrive, many have lost any vision of hope. It could be a financial crisis, relationship plight, health scare, loss of a loved one, or a hundred other things that upend us. Our hope and faith is tested to a point we falter.
But God has other plans. He doesn’t leave us. He is the Anchor in the storm even when the storm doesn’t seem to shift. And he sees the bigger picture. Our expectations can be shattered into a thousand tiny pieces, but God has the ability to put those tiny pieces back together again in a brand new way! His purposes always include hope.
God is always with us even when we are fearful. His hope and presence give courage when we want to crumple under the strain and stress of all the mess that seems to be around us. As fragile as we feel, God can raise us above what we are going through, making us feel strong again and renewed as we grow and develop in the new direction he is calling us.
Hope gives us the ability to continue to wait with a different kind of expectation. The world’s offerings of success, dreams coming true, instant answers, material gain, or fame and fortune, is all temporary. God’s hope is eternal. It never fails, because He never fails! And all those struggles we are facing God can use, as we grow to trust in him and deepen our faith —because he is a ‘God Who Can’, so unlike the world.
It’s hard to maintain when life is uncertain, we are weary and overwhelmed with whatever we are facing, but when we look to the Creator of the Universe who knows just what we need when we need it, we can find a place to rest. We need to be still and let God be God, even when we feel we can’t go a step further. When we are unable to walk he will carry us, allowing us to grow in our faith, even when we feel lost and forgotten, because He loves and cares for us. He is the Perfect Hope!
Photo Credit: Finding A Place To Rest