A Setup For A Hiccup, Throw up and Lift Up — Hope Deferred

A Setup For A Hiccup, Throw up and Lift Up — Hope Deferred

False expectations creat real problems... for us and others.

Hope... equals "an expectation of promised possibilities"

Notice how God speaks of what happens, within us, when what we're "hoping for" doesn't look like it's going as planned.

"When someone's hope is being deferred or prolonged it makes the heart sick: on the other hand, when the desire that someone has is coming together, it is a tree of life" (Proverbs 13:12)

As a believer there are three ways our expectations/dreams or delayed...prolonged...deferred...not happening the way we thought.

1. Not a realistic expectation...I set myself up for failure...God didn't initiate the dream or expectation it was someone else's hope and I borrowed it as my own. It could be an idea that I let someone else shape for me about church or the way God works. And when that ideal is not happening the way I think it ought to be happening it creates in me a downcast spirit toward the other parties involved.

2. Getting ahead of God and not waiting on Him...God gave to me the dream but there is a journey God is taking me on, and I find myself wanting it right now, so I get ahead of the Lord and try to make things happen for myself. I start manipulating the circumstances to my advantage and create trouble for myself and can't see how it's been my lack of patience that has created this anxiety within me.

3. Procrastination...God gave me the vision and the path to walk down yet I find myself distracted with trivial things and neglect my responsibility to be diligent to do what is required of me and fail to act in obedience while on the journey He has given.