hope.

Your middle name is Hope

With affection, I named you

So when you start to think you’ve “got this”

Remember whose hands framed you 

No, “hope” isn’t what you thought

In your youth and ignorance

But no need to feel ashamed

In love, I gently teach truth

Let Me tell you once again

What I’ve spoken in the past

Tune out the noise and hear My voice

Treasure my words inside of you

Hope is not the flowery word

You had imagined it to be

But before you brace yourself in fear

Let My reality set you free

Hope is not a dead end

Hope is not a cruel joke

It’s a companion for the journey

Come meet the one called “hope”

Hope is not a destination

So, it’s alright if you don’t arrive

To survive the pain, you need comfort

And you need to be nurtured to thrive

Hope is a steady rhythm

When you feel you can’t go on

So, when you need it most, don’t sprint

Wait, and trust for the dawn

Hope is not a song in daylight

It’s a whisper in the dark

And when you think you’re breaking

It’s the hands that hold your heart

Hope for circumstantial change

Might be Control in disguise

So hold out your open hands

Let hope take you by surprise

Hope is what you need

In the season you didn’t want

In the deadness of winter

Hope blooms deep down inside

Hope is beautiful

But, not what you might think

Un-manicured, but precious

Found in a despised ash heap

Hope might feel messy

You aren’t doing something wrong

My ‘work in progress’ isn’t decorative

It’s becoming durable and strong

Hope is what you choose to act on

But need I remind you?

If you see it with your eyes

That's when it isn’t hope at all

Here’s My word to the hopeless

And I’ve planted it in you

Be gentle with yourself

Rest here and let me love you

Here in my arms you’ll discover

That hope is real and hope is sure

Though every light has dimmed

And life has slammed every door

Be angry, be hurt

Be shattered, be real

You won’t drown if Hope’s your anchor

You don’t need to be afraid to feel

True hope is untouchable

Unshakable, invincible

True hope won’t give in

It’s unchanging and unbreakable

“How can this be?” You ask

When deep depression and wounds

In your heart have made a home

And for joy, have left no room

Can I liberate you?

Listen close and hear this truth

Your victory over despair

Does not depend on you

Lift your eyes, weary one

Is not your battle to win

For hope your soul is desperate

So to Me, come 

For, My very name is Hope

I am Hope in darkest night

And I will never leave you alone

Nothing can keep you from Me

So Seek Me to find Hope

In the rubble, a silent song

In the pain, a healing balm

In fatigue, relief and strength

In the storm, I’ll be your calm

No, child, hope is not a dead end

On this rugged road of life

It can be a familiar friend

Reminding you of what I’ve done

And one day, you’ll blink back tears

 Meeting others on the road

You’ll speak up and share the story

How before the dawn

You knew Hope.

“and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.”
-Romans 5:5

“We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain, where our forerunner, Jesus, has entered on our behalf. He has become a high priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek.”
-Hebrews 6:19-20

“Who among you fears the Lord?
Who obeys the voice of His Servant?
Who walks in darkness
And has no light?
Let him trust in the name of the Lord
And rely upon his God.”
-Isaiah 50:10

“…we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. For in this hope we were saved; but hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what he can already see? But if we hope for what we do not yet see, we wait for it patiently. In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know how we ought to pray, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groans too deep for words.”
-1 Corinthians 5:23-25

“For God alone, O my soul, wait in silence,
for my hope is from him.
He only is my rock and my salvation,
my fortress; I shall not be shaken.
On God rests my salvation and my glory;
my mighty rock, my refuge is God.”
-Psalm 62:5-7