Hope Restored

“Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a desire fulfilled is a tree of life.” Proverbs 13:12 (ESV)

Sarah understood the ache of hope deferred. Her hopes of having a child died the moment menopause began (Genesis 18:11). There would be no baby to cradle, no diapers to change, no tiny feet running about the house, no lullabies or bedtime stories. That promise God gave Abram about descendants too numerous to count? Apparently, she wasn’t a part of that. Or so she thought.

Then God showed up. One hot, sunny afternoon, by the oaks of Mamre, the LORD appeared as Abraham sat at the door of his tent. This wasn’t the first time God came down to talk with him (17:1). But this time, Sarah was close enough to hear the promise; “Your wife shall have a son.” Her response was to laugh. She’d let go of hope so long ago that she’d forgotten what it felt like to dare to believe.

Perhaps you’ve experienced the pain of hope deferred. You stagger through each day, unrelenting disappointment robbing you of your joy. All that is left are the hollow spaces inside where your dreams once took root before they eventually shriveled and died. Those ‘desires of the heart’ mentioned in Psalm 37:4 no longer apply to you – because you no longer dare to believe.

Whatever dominates your mind determines your outlook. You have to make the choice: dwell on your apparent setback or focus on God’s sovereignty. In the face of Sarah’s skeptical, too-good-to-be-true laughter, God countered, “Is anything too hard for the LORD?”

My friend, if that’s you, I urge you to hold on and hold out for the fulfillment of God’s promise to you. If He’s told you it will come to pass, then He will make good on His promise. He hasn’t forgotten you. Don’t let go of hope. For He who promised is faithful (Heb. 10:23). Sarah eventually conceived and bore a son to Abraham. She named him Isaac, saying, “God has made me laugh” (Genesis 21:6).

Today, choose to laugh. Not from a place of hurt but from a place of hope.