Hope Series Episode 15

Hope Series Episode 15

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Be strong and take heart, all you who hope in the Lord. Psalm 31:24

Hello, my walking friend! Did you know that research shows that just 10 minutes of walking can improve our spirits? And walking in God’s creation – living plants and greenery and the sunlight – can amplify the positive effects on our mood. But what about God’s spirit in you when you walk in his presence? Think what that does for your spiritual health in addition to your mental health. Well, that’s the benefit you are getting when you take these walks with Jesus. So, keep it up, my friend!

Today is the 15th episode in the hope series and our verse to meditate on is Psalm 31:24:
Be strong and take heart, all you who hope in the Lord.

Have you ever been down and out or maybe experiencing a significant loss in your life and a well-meaning Christian friend will tell you to take heart? They might even add some verses and say something like, “Remember, God works all things together for good…” And when you are feeling hopeless, their words may feel hurtful instead of helpful.
It might feel hard to forgive them for their seeming insensitivity. And it might be easy to think that the Lord is saying the same thing to you in this verse – like he is trivializing your situation and your feelings. But that couldn’t be further from the truth.

The Lord is not like our well-meaning friends. When they tell us to be strong and take heart, or try to encourage us with other verses, their words can feel hollow and powerless. But there is power and truth and certainty when Jesus says it to us. Jesus isn’t denying our pain, or asking us to deny it. He knows we hurt. He knows we suffer. Never forget that he suffered all the same physical, mental, and emotional pains we suffer. Torture, abuse, mental anguish, abandonment by those who were supposed to have his back. There is nothing you have experienced that the Lord hasn’t also experienced.

No, he doesn’t want you to deny your pain or your painful situation. He wants you to let him into it with you. He wants to sit with you in your sorrow when you don’t have the strength to walk. He wants to walk with you when your hurt and frustration make you want to run away from life. He wants to hug you and hold you through it and reassure you and give you hope that he will get you through it.

Jesus knows you, my walking friend, he really knows you like no other human being ever could. When he tells you to be strong and take heart it is with the full knowledge of who you are and what you can handle and what your future holds. Ultimately, if you have accepted Jesus as your Lord and Savior, your future belongs to him for eternity. And that alone should give us tremendous hope. But in the midst of life here on earth, and in the midst of all the challenges that come along with this life, we can still have hope because our hope is in the Lord. And we can have strength, because it is not our own strength we rely on, our strength comes from the Lord. And we can take heart, because the One who created us, the One who knit us together in our mother’s womb, is the one who holds our hearts in his hands. He is the one who can mend our hearts when they are broken. He is the one who can give us hope when our hearts feel hopeless.

Let’s try and forgive those who we feel have belittled our pain and situations with well-meaning phrases like “take heart”. After all, they are broken human beings, just like we are. Instead, let’s turn to Jesus with our pain and our hopeless situations. Let’s sit with him and walk with him and put our hope in him. And let’s give him our hearts to keep safe during the storms of life.

Now let’s take a little time to meditate on today’s verse,
Psalm 31:24:
Be strong and take heart, all you who hope in the Lord.

You are now at the halfway point of your walk. If you need to be back in 10 minutes, this would be the time to turn around and head back.

The second half of our walk is an opportunity for reflection, meditation, and prayer. For many of us, myself included, this might feel challenging. But the spiritual rewards, and transformation, that come from developing this discipline is great and so is the power of the Holy Spirit to help us. So let’s start with some questions that will guide you in the process of reflection.

Has someone ever told you to take heart during a painful season in your life? Or maybe they used another Christian phrase that was meant to be helpful but was hurtful instead? Do you feel differently when Jesus is the one saying it to you?

Have you ever been so brokenhearted that you didn’t even feel you had the strength to talk to Jesus, let alone walk with him? If so, what got you through those time?

When you are in seasons of waiting, which often goes hand in hand with hope, how does it make you feel to know that Jesus is sitting in the waiting room with you?

Now let’s listen to today’s verse one last time:
Psalm 31:24:
Be strong and take heart, all you who hope in the Lord.

Is there anything else you would like to talk to Jesus about? Anything going on in your life? Remember he is right there with you, walking with you, and he is eager for you to share all that is on your heart and mind with him. Take some time to talk to him now.

Now I am going to pray for us:

Dear Jesus,
I want to be strong for you. I want to show the world how much faith I have in you. But, honestly, sometimes I can’t. And I know it is wrong to put on a mask that makes others think I am a pillar of strength and hope when, in reality, I feel like my world is crumbling around me. During those seasons in my life, Jesus, I thank you for your grace and understanding. I thank you for sitting with me and helping me have patience while I wait for my strength to be renewed. Thank you for reminding me who you are and why you are the true source of my strength and my hope. Forgive me when I am less than gracious to others who accidentally hurt me with their words. I know that most of them are only trying to help me feel better. Help me show them the same grace you have shown me. Thank you for sitting with me when I don’t have the strength to walk with you and for giving me the strength to stand and walk with you again. Amen.

Well, my walking friend, you did it! Another 10 minutes of walking and another opportunity to build the spiritual discipline of prayer and quiet time with Jesus, the one who holds your heart in his hands. I’m grateful for you and I’m grateful you took the time to walk with me today.

For more Walk with Jesus resources, including the Walk with Jesus 21 day scripture, devotional, and guided prayer journal book for walkers, go to WalkWithJesusDevotional.com. You will find the URL for the show notes for this podcast in the episode description.

I hope we can walk together again tomorrow, friend, as we continue our series on hope. Until then, God bless you as you walk with Jesus.