Fan The Flames
I sit here in the Mohave Desert and it is not lost on me how desolate my spiritual life has felt. Not because God is far away, because I have been far away. We have had some exciting things happening in our life. I should be hopeful in expectation. Why was I feeling this way? Then one day I realized that my hope bucket was running on low for fear of disappointment…again. My dare to hope and my dare to dream fire was simply a small burning ember rather than a raging fire.
It is where human disappointments spill over on to our relationship with Christ and can taint our view of God. We attach human failures and behaviors to a sovereign, unfailing, perfect God. A God who created us in his image for his pleasure. We begin to believe that everyone will bring disappointment including God. We walk through the valley feeling alone and forgotten. Yet God is always near.
I am reminded that humans will always disappoint us, but God never disappoints. I have struggled with standing in the truth of that and daring to hope and dream while walking through disappointment with people and things of the world.
I struggle with the tangled web of my heart as I try to separate disappointments of the world and God’s promises.
I want to live with my heart and hands wide open to receive all the good gifts
God has for me.
I would bet that you do too!
To do that, we have to fan the flame of hope and dreams with his promises.
I know he wants to give us good things.
His word says…
“If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!” Matt 7:11 NIV
“Now to Him who is able to [carry out His purpose and] do superabundantly more than all that we dare ask or think [infinitely beyond our greatest prayers, hopes, or dreams], according to His power that is at work within us,”Ephesians 3:20 AMP
“Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a dream fulfilled is a tree of life.” Proverbs 13:12 NLT
Here are some other truths friend.
*People will bring disappointment to our life but not ALL people and certainly not God.
*People will hurt us and betray us, but not ALL people and certainly not God.
*People will break our trust, but not ALL people and certainly not God.
*People will love us only to the capacity they feel loved. God loves us unconditionally and lavishly.
Is your hope bucket running low? Is your hopes and dreams fire
an ember rather than a raging fire?
Will you join me as I dare to fan the fires of my hopes and dreams with the truths breathed into my life by the Holy Spirit and God’s word? His love never fails. His pursuit of us never stalls. He is near us always. He cares about our hopes and dreams and desires to give us good, good gifts.
Father God, we know that humans will always fail us. Would you protect us from the lie that because humans hurt us, fail us, and disappoint us that you will too? Help us filter those hurts through your truth. Breathe your Holy Spirit out on us, rekindle and fan the flame of hopes and dreams in our life. May we dare to dream again. In Jesus name.
Much love,
Chrissy