Hope Doesn't Disappoint

Hope Doesn’t Disappoint

Have you ever come to the point in life where you just don’t know what to do? You remember pushing for so long, but now you find yourself stuck in a rut, and you can’t help but ask why? How did this happen? Why me? What did I do wrong? Where am I going? A heap of questions can find themselves creeping up on you bringing doubt and fear when you are facing obstacles in life. How do you maintain your vision when trials come up in life? It's crazy to think how quick we can loose hope over the smallest little bump in the road.

When thinking about bumps in the road, I can't help but think about the life of King David. One day the man is a shepherd minding his own business tending sheep, and the next he's used by God to take down a Giant and defeat an army; then he is forced to flee for his life from the king whom he served, and then later on he becomes king... David had plenty of opportunities to loose hope, and throw in the towel, but he didn't. When you have a vision of where you are going, and most of all what you are doing to get there, the biggest obstacles in life become just another bump in the road.

"The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life, of whom shall I be afraid." Psalms 27

"Sing Praise to the Lord you saints of His, and give thanks at remembrance of His holy name, for his anger is but a moment, His favor is for life; Weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning." Psalm 30:4-5

If I had to compare this to my life, I would simply go back to when I was hit by a car. In June of 2009 I was training to be in a triathlon; I had lost over 140lbs and thought it would be amazing to compete in to show how far I've come. One day I was biking down Fairview when a lady who wasn't paying attention hit me. It tore my MCL, and left a slight tear in my ACL and Meniscus while slightly twisting my spine. It's easy to get side tracked, thrown off coarse, a bump in the road can mess you up, but don't let it get the best of you, get back up, and keep pressing, the best is still yet to come; This was simply another bump in the road.

"Many are the Afflictions of the Righteous, but THE LORD DELIVERS HIM OF THEM ALL" Psalms 34:9
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"I sought the Lord, and he heard me, and delivered me from all my fears" Psalm 34:4

I remember lying on the cement in pain thinking, "could this really be happening?" It was. When I got to the doctors, he looked at me and said that I had "the trio tear", that I had tore all three major ligaments in my knee. When I heard this news, it was somewhat devastating, but I didn't let it get the best of me. You can either hope for the best, or assume the worst in any situation in life. It doesn't matter rather you are in the middle of a storm, or living the dream, God is faithful; he isn't going to leave you stranded in the middle of a desert without a hope, or a way of escape. God always provides a way of escape; he wants to be the strength of your life, the thing is, you have to let him.

"He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty, I will say of the Lord, "He is my refuge and my fortress; My God, in him I will trust."" Psalm 91:1-2

This wasn't the first time something bad had happened to me, or received a bad report; but instead of getting bitter and going emo, I simply started serving the church in any way I could. Since I wasn't cleared to work, I had plenty of time to lead prayer watches, and read my Bible. Then the craziest thing happened, as I began to seek God, all my fears, and doubts, just started to fade away. I just pressed as hard as I could, and watched as the doctors reports got better and better, week after week. It went from, "you probably won't be able to walk the same or run very good" to, "looks like you'll make a full recovery". God is faithful.

"BLESS the Lord, oh my soul; And all that is within me, Bless His holy name! Bless the Lord, Oh my soul, And Forget not all his benefits." Psalms 103:1-2

Guess what, in the fall that same year, I was back running on the track with no pain in my knees, and faster than I was before. How did this happen? I was just hit by a car, tore the ligaments in my knee, and 4 months later I'm running and faster than I was before... how? Well the answer is actually quite simple, GOD IS FAITHFUL! The Bible says that those who put there trust in him won't be let down. The Bible says He's a loving dad who wants to give us all that we need, the problem most of us have is we simply don't understand the Love of The Father.

Isaiah 40:30-31 "Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall utterly fall, but those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength, they shall mount up on wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint."

God is faithful, he will always meet you at your point of need. All you have to do is simply draw near to him

James 4:8, 10 "Draw Near to God, and he will draw near to you... Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up."

God is the one thing you can put your hope in, and never be let down. God never fails, he will never leave you or forsake you. Guess what, that car in the summer of 09 wasn't the first time something bad has happened to me. I've been hit by 4 cars, I've burned alive, I've drowned, I've been nearly died numerous times, but I'm still here, and God is Faithful!

Philippians 4:19 "And my God shall supply ALL your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus"

Isaiah 41:10 "Do not Fear, for I am with you; do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, surely I will help you, surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand"

Nahum 1:7 "The Lord IS Good, a strong refuge when trouble comes. He is close to those who trust in him."

Why doesn't our hope disappoint? It's because God never fails.

Psalm 55:22 Cast your burden on the Lord [releasing the weight of it] and He will sustain you; He will never allow the [consistently] righteous to be moved (made to slip, fall, or fail).

Trust in God, He will never leave you, or forsake you.


Be Blessed

Dan Michno