Have you ever made a bold claim about something you were sure was true as a child, but the playground bully challenged your claim by yelling, “Prove it!”

You might boldly respond with your beliefs, but the bully contradicts your response with how he sees things. Feeling intimidated, you suddenly feel uncertain. You don’t have that assurance you had and stamper with excuses about the bold decree you’ve made.

Accepting defeat, you might quietly walk away, asking yourself; I am right – right?

Doubt has set in.

Well, the enemy and deceiver of our lives is that playground bully. And he will challenge the very word of God we are standing on.

In my personal life, I have made some pretty bold claims about Jesus’ finished work of the cross, and the playground bully has challenged my decree.

I felt intimidated and wondered how I would prove to the bully that my decree was actual. But suddenly, I realized something. The claims I have made are God’s word, not mine. I don’t need to prove anything. All I need to do is anchor myself in the Hope I have in the Word of God because He does not lie  (Heb. 6:19; Num. 23:19).  

Hope is only as strong as its source. That’s why the foundation of our Hope must be in God and the promises found in His Word. If God is not the source, hope is just a wishful thought.

The Hope I’m encouraging you to have differs significantly from what the world might call hope. It is found in El Shaddai (Almighty God), who has infinite knowledge (Isa. 40:28), who fills the heavens and the earth (Jer. 23:23-24), and His Son, Jesus Christ (Titus 2:13).

When we have a relationship with Christ, it fills us with Hope and confidence because we realize He’s greater than any situation we will ever encounter. 

What scriptures are you anchoring yourself to – that speak HOPE about the situation you’re facing now?

So, how do I give up my timeline and keep holding onto hope?

I remind myself that I am looking at the situation in the moment; God sees the whole picture. He knows the end from the beginning (Isa 46:10) and has not left me (Dt 31:8).

I then nurture these truths. Nurture means to feed or nourish whatever it is that you want to grow. I do this by remembering the times these scriptures became true for me. Those personal moments when I knew God was going before me, opening the door. Or when I could not see the end, I was stuck in the middle questioning “why,” only to realize that Hollywood couldn’t have scripted the end better than it unfolded for me.

Also, I look at scripture and see how the Lord came through countless times when things looked grim, remembering that HE is the same yesterday, today, and forever (Heb 13:8). So we can expect the Lord to come through for us, too.

So, I want to encourage you not to look at the moment you may be sitting in but look up to the one who sees the entire picture. Know He has not abandoned you (Ps 94:14). He will work all things out to those who love him, according to His purposes (Ro 8:28; Php 1:6).

What testimonies do you have that you remind yourself to nurture hope?