We’ve seen it happen one too many times… the deferment of hope. You had all your hopes up, you were full of excitement over the things that were set to happen to you and for you when all of a sudden, things fell apart and your hopes were all dashed.
Maybe it was that University admission you had been waiting for, maybe it’s that relationship you had believed with all your heart was headed to the altar or that business contract… you had done all you were asked to do and your fingers were all crossed, set, waiting for the call that never came. Maybe it’s the baby you prayed and waited for… 2, 3 years down the line, a missed period, a visit to the doctor and then you hear words you’ve longed to hear… but wait, 3 months later, a show of blood and… there goes your baby! I could go on and on, but true to every circumstance described above, the wise one painted the words perfectly when he penned them down:
“Hope deferred maketh the heart sick…” Proverbs 13:20
Time and again, I’ve had the privilege of experiencing the feeling that deferred hope brings. I call it a privilege simply because that is what it has been. For in those moments of utter despair over failure concerning the things I was hoping for, my trust in God grew, my faith in Him deepened and dependence on Him and His word increased and this only means one thing – that I have grown a little more with every disappointment that has come my way.
So, if you’re wondering what to do after your hopes have been dashed or maybe broken to infinitely small impossible-to-gather fragments, I’ll tell you this: Cry a little or a lot. Yell at someone or something or into your pillow. Talk to someone about it, or don’t if you do not feel like it and when you’re done, hold on… Hold on to the infallible word of God. Know in your heart and simply because His word says so that Jesus understands and is not happy over what you’re going through. And through it all, lift up your head, open your mouth wide and boldly declare:
“l have set my face like a flint, I know I will not be ashamed for the Lord will help me; Therefore I will not be disgraced.” Isaiah 50:7
You know why? Because He will… And that thing you hoped for will come. Maybe not today, tomorrow or even in the next 3 years but, IT WILL COME and you will remember that I did tell you so!
Zara Obaa
January 2022