Patient in Hope

If you already have something, you don’t need to hope for it. But if you look forward to something you don’t have yet, you must wait patiently and confidently. (Romans 8:24b-25; NLT)

What is Hope?

Hope is a confident expectation and a desire for something good in the future.

On the other hand, faith is the substance of the things we hope for, you have to hope for something before your faith can give substance to it.

Although the future can mean anything from the next few days to several years, God communicates words, images, and visions as a token of His promises. These promises are seeds of hope to build up our expectations for the future. 

The Parable of the Sower

Jesus told many parables in the Gospels, one of them is this parable – The Parable of the Sower. The first time I heard about this parable, I was a child in the children’s church. The parable follows a farmer sowing seeds on different ground, and how those grounds responded to the seed sown in them.

Often at times, the lesson drawn from the parable is to help us pay attention to the word of God when it is preached in church. 

While this is applicable, I have also seen that the “seed” specified in the different accounts of the gospel (Matthew 13:1-23, Mark 4:1-20, Luke 8:4-15) also refers to the specific word we are to steward in each season of our lives. God often speaks to us about the future because he desires to give you and me a future and hope. He shows the possibility of the future whether it be about our health, finances, academics, career, marriage or purpose through ‘a word’, a vision, a dream etc.

Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God. ‭

Luke 8:11 (KJV‬)

In the account of St Luke, we saw the farmer sowing seeds on different grounds. The seed fell on four (4) types of ground yielding different results. Let’s examine how the different ground produces different results: 

Some of the seed fell on the wayside, but then the Devil came and stole it away and prevented them from believing and being saved. 

Those who fell on the rock represent those who receive the word with joy. But like young plants in such soil, their roots don’t go very deep. They believe for a while, but in times of trial and temptation, they fall away. 

The seeds that fall into the weeds represent the hearts of those who hear the word of God but their growth is quickly choked off by their anxious cares, the riches of this world, and the fleeting pleasures of this life. This is why they never become mature and fruitful.  

But as for that seed in the good soil, these are the ones who have heard the word with a good and noble heart, hold on to it tightly, and bear fruit with patience.

Likewise, there are four different hearts, and each heart behaves just like the soil. But for us to receive what we hope for our hearts must be like the good soil. The good heart (soil) holds on tightly to the word of God. The good heart patiently produces fruit. 

Our hope needs patience and our hope must be founded in Christ. This is where we sometimes have problems and impatient is one of the tools of the enemy. Scripture says those who believe don’t make haste. If we walk in the fullness of God’s plans and purpose for our lives, we need plenty of patience and we must keep hope alive. We must be assured that faithful is He that promised. 

So do not throw away this confident trust in the Lord. Remember the great reward it brings you! Patient endurance is what you need now so that you will continue to do God’s will. Then you will receive all that he has promised. For in just a little while, the Coming One will come and not delay.

Hebrews 10:35-37 (NLT)

Therefore thus says the Lord GOD: “Behold, I lay in Zion a stone for a foundation, A tried stone, a precious cornerstone, a sure foundation; Whoever believes will not act hastily.”

Isaiah 28:16 (KJV)

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

Hebrews 10:23 (NLT)

Holding on to God’s promises

A minister shared something phenomenal about an Eagle. She said when an eagle is on the ground it can’t win the battle if it’s attacked by prey. What it does is that it takes flight with the predator on, as long as it keeps soaring at an altitude, the predator itself will drop off. 

The way I saw it was this; when we are trusting God for certain things, holding on to the promises or the word of God that has gone forth, or manifestation of our expectations, the enemy desires to keep our gaze focused on the immediate gratification of such promise and once we can’t get it, we will become frustrated, annoyed and disturbed. 

One of the ways to win this battle is to take him to another plain, a plain where we choose to be steadfast in resisting him by our faith in God. We will choose to set our gaze on things above where Christ dwells and put our confidence in God for He is faithful.

Ask the Lord to declutter your heart so that you can live in a distracted-free zone, as you wait to see the manifestation of all the words that have been spoken concerning you. Amen!