What about the things that we hope for – how do we know whether we are hoping for our own ideas or for God’s ideas? How can you tell the difference?
Here’s what I know: God is good. He is faithful, and He is able. Nothing is too hard for Him. He wants to give good gifts to His children. These truths encourage me, but they don’t answer the question of whether or not what I’m hoping for is actually something He wants for me.
In these cases, is it ok to keep hoping for something even if we don’t know what God has planned?
I don’t have a definitive answer about any of this, but feel free to join me on my journey of wondering.
Scripture tells us that God doesn’t do anything without first revealing His plans to His prophets (Amos 3:7). I’m not a prophet, though I do believe that God can still speak through people. Based on this verse alone, somebody somewhere must know about what God is going to do.
Does hopeless automatically equate to faithless?
Let’s put this into context, though, before we go blindly applying scripture to our individual lives. I haven’t done a lot of deep study on the book of Amos, but I do know that this particular verse occurs while God is listing Israel’s offenses. This whole book highlights the fairness and justice of God.
Even when things feel unfair, God’s character is still just.
But let’s remember that the whole of scripture speaks, not just one verse. So even if God reveals things to His prophets, we can’t neglect the words of Paul in 1 Corinthians that “we know in part and we prophesy in part” (1 Corinthians 13:9).
Furthermore, God keeps secrets; He has secrets known to no one according to Deuteronomy 29:29. He knows the plans He has for us (Jeremiah 29:11), implying that we don’t know them. So while it is possible for God to reveal things to us – all things are possible with God – it is still likely that we will not fully grasp the meaning of what He reveals or the method by which it will come to pass.
Is it ok to keep hoping for something even if we don’t know what God has planned?
So back to the question at hand… How do we maintain hope for something that we haven’t yet seen, especially when what we do see seems to be the direct opposite of that for which we hope?
Romans 8:25 tells us how to wait: patiently and confidently. Easier said than done, right?
It’s the confidence part that gets me. It seems the longer I wait, the more I question whether or not it will happen. That doesn’t feel very confident.
I recently read a social media post from a pastor I tend to disagree with, but in this instance, he made a valid point. He asserted that rather than asking God for signs that He is doing what we asked or what we hoped for, we ought to consider giving God the sign that we are still in faith. Show Him that we still believe that He is able. Interesting thought, no?
Signs are great when they happen. But if our faith feels shaky when we go without seeing a sign, then what? If it is impossible to please God without faith (Hebrews 11:6), then the inverse must also be true: faith pleases God.
Even when things feel unfair, God’s character is still just.
This is where I am in relationship to two specific things I’ve been asking God to do for over a decade. I still believe God can – He can do anything and nothing is impossible for Him. But the “God will” part is the tiniest little runt-of-the-litter mustard seed.
As I sat in prayer yesterday morning, bringing these two things before the Lord again, I found myself asking Him, “God, can you even see my faith anymore? I think it’s still there. But I don’t feel it anymore.”
When time has worn down our faith to the point that we no longer recognize it ourselves, is God still pleased?
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