Monday’s Marinade is provided to you as a means of “soaking yourself” in the hope-filled Word of God at the beginning of your week.
Repeatedly think about this and quietly say it to yourself.
Marinate and season your week with hope and a confident expectation of good things happening!
Abraham firmly believed God’s promise. Romans 4:18 (NLT) tells us how Abraham had ridiculous hope—“Even when there was no reason for hope, Abraham kept hoping—believing that he would become the father of many nations.”
I recently read how Jewish tradition promotes that Sarah actually had no womb:
Sarai was barren, she had no child.
[Why the double phrasing?] To teach that she did not even have a place for offspring – i.e. a womb. (Rashi, citing Talmud – Yevamot 64a)
[This is an interpretation of Genesis 11:30.]
But even when there was no reason to hope — Sarah had been barren for decades and he was nearly 100 years old — Abraham kept believing that they would have a child. Their predicament made hope seem nonsensical, even laughable. But Abraham kept hoping.
This wasn’t the first time Abraham had experienced and maintained ridiculous hope. God told him to leave his extended family (very unusual in that culture) and go to a different land, promising him that he would be blessed and become great. Abraham made a decision to step out and find out. The promises came true as Abraham trusted God.
I think Abraham was an outstanding example of how to have ridiculous hope in the midst of infertility. He opened himself to hear from God. He trusted what God said. So much so, that he changed his name from Abram, which means “exalted father” , to Abraham, which means “father of many nations.” Imagine hearing other people call him father of multitudes when he and Sarah didn’t even have one child! Think of the ridicule he must have experienced. His ridiculous hope required having faith in what God had promised, trusting that what God had promised would indeed come to pass. Repeatedly hearing that description of himself , through others calling his name, surely must have built Abraham’s faith (faith comes by hearing–Romans 10:17).
There was another factor that increased Abraham’s hope for a child and faith in God’s promise. We learn in Romans 4:20 (YLT) that he “was strengthened in faith, having given glory to God.” The act of praising God, acknowledging His power and honoring Him by the words that Abraham spoke, helped to build up his faith.
Abraham had ridiculous hope in God, viewing Him as the only One who could give him all that he desired.
What will it take for you to live each day having ridiculous hope?
[Source: Webster’s Dictionary]
What is your expectation of a promise? So many people in our lives, both private and public, have broken their promises until the definition of that word has been greatly diluted. Has Webster’s definition of promise, as being definitive and actionable, lost its strength?
I’ve recently gotten some feedback from a precious few who think that it’s OK to not expect that God would keep His promises. If your husband/ wife/parent/boss/etc. made a promise to you, you’d expect them to follow through and make it happen. If the promise wasn’t kept, would you be OK with that? I don’t think so! If someone doesn’t keep their promise it makes them a liar– as far as the promise itself is concerned. The Bible clearly tells us that God is NOT a liar which means that He keeps all of His promises (Numbers 23:19). Shouldn’t we expect God to keep His promises?
When I was 10 or 11, I joined a Girl Scout troop. Mrs. Skaggs was our troop leader. Every time we’d have a troop meeting in the large basement of her home, she would lead us in reciting the Girl Scout Promise. Here’s my tattered handbook that shows the promise we made at each meeting.
No matter how hard I tried, I did not fully keep that promise from week to week. I was not always dutiful, helpful, or obedient. Most of the time, I wasn’t even trying to be those things.
“Not one word has failed of all the wonderful promises he gave.” 1 Kings 8:56
This hangs in my laundry room as reminder.
Here’s what He says about the matter:
This means that His answer to your prayer of faith in His promise, is “Yes” because of the finished work of Jesus on the cross.
His promises are sure. Confess them out loud repeatedly to renew your mind, to build your faith (faith comes by hearing), and to increase your expectation of good — your HOPE. Also, speak the Amen (“so be it”) for His promises to be manifested in your life.
Is your confidence in His promises waning? Don’t cast out His promises or your confidence in them (Hebrews 10:35,36). You can count on Him to come through, even when it seems that He’s taking too long to fulfill His promises according to your timeline.
Be encouraged as you step into the new year of 2015 believing that God keeps all His promises!
What will you do in 2015 to ensure that you take advantage of what the Father has already lovingly provided to you in His promises through Jesus?
Monday’s Marinade is provided to you as a means of “soaking yourself” in the hope-filled Word of God at the beginning of your week. Start your week by meditating about how it pleases God when you have confidence in His love for you. Repeatedly think about this and quietly say it to yourself. Marinate and season your week with hope and a confident expectation of good things happening!
Find your hope in the comforting, steadfast, and powerful promises of God (Romans 15:4).
Image courtesy of Infertility Inspirations
Hope is defined as a joyful and confident expectation of good. [Source: Thayer’s Lexicon]
I like to think of hope as:
Having
Only
Positive
Expectations
In this acrostic, “positive” not only means the opposite of negative, it also means confident/fully assured. Therefore, each day you can choose to have a confident expectation of something good coming your way to bring you out of this season of infertility.
The prophet Jeremiah is a case study for how to maintain hope. Consistently recalling what his enemy had done to him caused Jeremiah to get deeply depressed. His mind and emotions were not at peace and he even became oblivious to anything good (Lamentations 3). But, when he chose to recall the good things God had done, he was filled with hope, confidence, and expectancy.
Practice H.O.P.E. daily! Make the choice to recall the good that God has already done in your life. Remember that He is always with you, making Himself available to do you good.
The account of Abraham & Sarah overcoming infertility is referenced in Romans 4 and tells of how he had a steadfast, firm hope in God’s promises. Verse 18 says that he “hoped against hope.” The phrase “hope against hope” means to continue to have hope even though the present outlook doesn’t warrant it. He kept looking for the manifestation of God’s promise of a child.
Give yourself permission to be like Abraham– keep your hope alive even though your natural circumstances may not warrant having hope. When you get tired of waiting, God is still right there to help you continue on. As you trust in Him and His goodness, it becomes easier to maintain and overflow in hope.
“I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit.” ~ Romans 15:13 (NLT)
Will you choose to refuse despair and move toward victory each day?
[This post includes an excerpt from my book, Infertility Sucks!]
If you feel like giving up on God in your hope for improved fertility and having a child, read on…
Recently, I shared with you that a woman who has been reading my book, A Seed of Hope: God’s Promises of Fertility, had become pregnant.
Camille and I first communicated about 2 years ago because she’d found my blog and posted a comment. In addition to responding to her comment on the blog, I sent her a personal email reply a few weeks later. I got a response from her (back in July 2012) that she has given me permission to share:
Hello Evangeline,
I hope you are well.
It was meant for you to send me an email just when you did. God knows what we need and when we need it. I have been reading A Seed of Hope and it is very encouraging. However, I have not been in the Word (the Bible or A Seed of Hope) the last few weeks. Things have been rough for me emotionally. I’ve been having feelings of questioning God and my faith, then feeling guilty for that.
I have received the news of so many people announcing their pregnancy within recent weeks. I am happy for them, but it makes me sad that it hasn’t been my time. Then I feel guilty because although we have been dealing with infertility, I have so many reasons to be grateful: life with all my faculties, a wonderful, loving and supportive husband, family, and much more. So much more it is impossible for me to name them all.
I also feel guilty because I don’t want my relationship with the Lord being only based on Him making this happen for me or for it to be perceived that way. I also feel guilty at times because I have let this infertility issue consume so much of my mind and energy instead of focusing on the Word and goodness of God. I then get mad at myself because I know it’s the trick of the enemy but I still fall for it.
Thank you so much for checking in because just reading your email has given me encouragement. The fact that you emailed me this day, during this time, at one of my lowest emotionally, confirms to me that the Lord hears my cry and he knows what I need and when I need it. Thank you for listening to God’s Spirit leading you to email me. BTW, I have recommended the book to other friends who are going through similar situations.
Thank you,
–Camille
Two years later, in July 2014, I “happened” to come across her email while cleaning out a file (I LOVE IT WHEN GOD SETS THINGS UP!). I decided to check in with her to see how she was doing. When I received her reply, my chin dropped to the floor—she was almost 38 weeks pregnant! More important than anything else in her journey, Camille’s heart had become fertile ground for the seed of God’s Word she planted (Mark 4:14-20). It grew and flourished in her life as she made the spiritual aspect of the infertility a priority. It enabled her to increase her trust in God and expect a miracle from Him.
Next week, I’ll share a part of her most recent email to me. I know that it will give you hope and inspire you to trust the promises of God.
Monday’s Marinade is provided to you as a means of “soaking yourself” in the hope-filled Word of God at the beginning of your week.
Start your week by meditating on this Word about why you can have courage. Repeatedly think about it and quietly say it to yourself. Marinate and season your week with hope and a confident expectation of good things happening!
Renewable resource– it’s a term we hear often now that our environment struggles to keep up with all that’s being consumed around the world. It is typically a source of power and is sustainable in its application. A renewable resource is a resource which can replenish with the passage of time. “Renewable resources are any type of resource that can be regenerated at a rate that is at least equal to the speed with which humanity can consume that resource” (Source: Wisegeek.com).
Hope is a renewable resource for your soul. Are you a consumer of hope? It is renewable, sustainable (because of Jesus), and filled with power. No matter how quickly you consume it, there is always a fresh supply to tap into. It will never run out! Everyday, we have the opportunity to live with an even greater hope-filled focus in life because of the unending supply of hope given to us in the promises of God.
It is the confident expectation of good. You can have confidence that good things are coming your way when you trust in God’s promises as your personal truth.
The Bible tells us that hope is eternal, it is unending and unfailing. Its power is always readily available to be tapped into and harnessed.
“Three things will last forever—faith, hope, and love—and the greatest of these is love.” ~ 1 Corinthians 13:13 NLT
“And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love.” ~Romans 5:5 NLT
We get hope by using the Word of God as our supplier of it. God’s Word is Truth. The Truth is given to us so that we may overflow with hope!
“Your promises are my only source of hope.” Psalm 119:114 TLB
“And the Scriptures give us hope and encouragement as we wait patiently for God’s promises to be fulfilled.” ~ Romans 15:4 NLT
Even in the midst of infertility and other struggles in life, it is possible, no, imperative to have hope. Without it, how can you look forward to a future filled with joy, peace, and the gifts of favor that God desires to give you?
Be sure to get a copy of my FREE tips sheet, “How to Have Hope in Hard Places.” Request it in the blue box to the right of this page.
Focus on this scripture throughout the day. It’s God’s Word and it’s what He desires us to believe.
Believe it is true for you because God’s Word is Truth.
Use it as an affirmation. Speak this Word to yourself throughout the day.
Personalize it by putting your name in it!
