Grace Notes // The Promises of God Week 1
Hope Amidst Uncertainty
Written by Keli Miller
“Meanwhile, the moment we get tired in the waiting, God’s Spirit is right alongside helping us along. If we don’t know how or what to pray, it doesn’t matter. He does our praying in and for us, making prayer out of our wordless sighs, our aching groans. He knows us far better than we know ourselves, knows our pregnant condition, and keeps us present before God. That’s why we can be so sure that every detail in our lives of love for God is worked into something good.” (Romans 8:26-28, Message)
A little over a week ago I had a pretty wild dream. In the dream I had been pregnant for awhile, but forgot. My stomach was getting bigger and when I started having pains or contractions I remembered just how pregnant I was. I was overcome with an urgency to get this baby out of me. Fear overcame me and I was afraid that I might have already miscarried. The contractions went on and on and the doctors kept assuring me that it wasn’t time. I woke up without having delivered the baby.
Often in dreams pregnancy can point to promises or dreams that we have been carrying or hoping for. In the dream it wasn’t until the pain came that I realized I had been carrying a promise and was fearful that it wasn’t going to be delivered. I was overcome with doubt and did not trust the doctor's words because my pain was so great. In my dream, I remember being frustrated with myself that I forgot I was pregnant. Surely, if the baby died it would have been my own fault.
In the dream my affliction reminded me of my need for a hope that would not disappoint. That hope has to be Christ alone. Not in our plans, our relationships, or our finances, but in Christ alone. In Genesis 15, when God is making his Covenant with Abraham, he is the only one to pass through the fire. This is huge. Essentially, this meant that God was taking the oath for both of them. If either side brakes the oath, God’s body is the only body that will be broken. God carries the responsibility for his promises and for our lack. We see this covenant fulfilled through the life, death and resurrection of Jesus. This hope has withstood generations and it will withstand long after this current pandemic has passed.
We have a certainty chasm in our world right now. There is a hole in our lives now where certainty used to be and God is saying, “Now there is a space I can fill.” We have a choice right now- are we going to choose to sit in fear or are we going to hold on to hope in what God has said? Let’s take hold and anchor ourselves to hope in Christ alone.
“The hope of the afflicted will never perish” Psalm 9:18 NIV
In The Word
Genesis 15
Hebrews 6: 13-20
Romans 8
Processing
What does it look like practically to choose hope over fear?
Take some time this week and remind yourself of how you’ve seen God’s faithfulness in your own life. Spend time thanking God for what he has already done and naming what you are hoping for.
Praise Him now for the breakthrough that you are still hoping for.