“Hope deferred makes the heart sick: but when the desire comes, it is the tree of life.” Proverbs 13:12
What is hope? According to Webster’s dictionary, it is “desire with expectation.” We all have different hopes. They might center around our children, our future, our desire to serve the Lord, our health, our finances or numerous other possibilities.

The one thing these hopes have in common is that heartfelt desire that they happen. Some of our hopes are merely carnal, but many hopes have been embedded in our hearts by the Lord.
So we pray – sometimes for years – and often it seems as if the Lord has not heard those prayers. Discouragement creeps in and we start to believe that what we hope for will never happen. We wonder if the situation will ever change.
However, change does occur. As we pray the Lord is changing us! Fervent prayer enables us to focus on His goodness, faithfulness and trustworthiness. Christ focused prayer empowers us – through it we can jettison self.
Continue reading