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“Hope is unshakeable confidence in God.”

A thought by Christine Caine from her book, Unexpected: Leave Fear Behind, Move Forward in Faith, Embrace the Adventure (p. 107). Zondervan. Kindle Edition. (Click on the book title to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.)

This may be what you really needed today.  I’m glad you stopped by.

Look at this, Hebrews 10:35 (NIV), “So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded.”

Christine says, “It doesn’t deny the reality of our pain, but it does give us a life beyond our pain. It gives us permission to believe in a new beginning. It is the happy and confident expectation of good that lifts our spirits and dares us to believe for a different future. It is always looking to God with expectation: ‘But now, Lord, what do I look for? My hope is in you’ (Psalm 39:7).

A prisoner of hope
“But when we lose hope, when all we feel is the pain of loss and disappointment, it can be so hard to believe that God wants to help us, or that he cares, because we have more questions than answers. More doubt than faith. And yet, that is the perfect time to become a prisoner of hope.”

She goes on, “A prisoner of hope sounds like an odd thing to be, doesn’t it? Aren’t prisoners locked up in high-security institutions and stripped of all their freedoms? Why would we want to be characterized as a prisoner of anything, even hope?

“Because being a prisoner of hope in God is different. God’s prisoners of hope aren’t forced into an institution for punishment but invited into a fortress for safety. Imagine a castle that stands firm even when the very foundations of life are shaken. A place created just for us, where we can chain ourselves to the promise that God is working all things for our good, even when all things are falling apart. From the high tower of this fortress, we prisoners of hope gain a whole new perspective. We can look beyond our unexpected circumstances to the future, trusting that God has good things in store for us.”

That is for sure where I want to live.  I want to be a prisoner of hope.  Is that what you want?

Yes, yes!

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