Happy October sweetfaces!! I am sooo excited to share with you all this month! Last month’s post was a little heavy, so I hope to lighten things up a little this time. I want to share some interesting revelations that I have experienced within the last few weeks. I pray that the revelation is not only beneficial to me, but also to you all. That you will be able to gain personal revelation in your own lives.

Over the past few weeks, there was a scripture that I couldn’t shake. It was Proverbs 13:12 and it says “Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a dream fulfilled is a tree of life.“(NLT) I decided to write it out and journal what that scripture means to me and how it applies to my life. You know I love to understand words correctly, so I looked up the definition of deferred. Deferred means to “postpone, or put off an action or event until a later date.” Y ‘all, we live in a society that does not like to wait for anything! I am definitely not an exception. I started to think about the effects of hope being deferred and how it can make our hearts sick–leaving us hopeless.

If we put our hope in something and it does not happen, that causes us to become discouraged, discontent, and doubtful. This can lead to anxiety, fear, depression, and other health issues. This scripture reminded me that I was putting my trust in the things I had hope for and not in the one who can grant those things to me. He reminded me that I always think about what “historically” happens. That is a word I use often. If I am stuck in that place, how can I honor and prepare for the place where my dream is fulfilled? Doing this keeps me from truly trusting God and actually having expectation in some areas of my life. It can make my heart sick. I want to share with you a story about a woman who continued to trust in the Lord for her petitions even though her hope was deferred. Bible study time ladies!

This woman’s name is Hannah. Hannah’s story is found in 1 Samuel chapter 1. Hannah was married to a man named Elkanah. Well we all know in the Bible days, men usually had more than one wife. Elkanah had another wife named Penninah. Penninah was a messy baby mama who taunted Hannah because she could have babies, while Hannah could not. Motherhood in those days was taken very seriously. It was a reflection of their worth if they did not have children. I can understand that she got tired of Penninah tormenting her about something she was so hopeful for.

One night Hannah was fed up with Penninah’s torment and she went to the house of the Lord at Shiloh. She was praying so passionately that while her lips were moving, she was silent. The prophet Eli even thought she was drunk. She told him that she was pleading with God and Eli answered “Go in peace, and may the God of Israel grant you what you have asked of him.” She went back with her husband and was no longer sad. I feel like she felt relief after that prayer. Her hope was renewed as she was in position for that divine appointment. She went back home with her husband and they had an ummm “encounter” and the Lord remembered her and she became pregnant. She promised that she would give him back to God for His service. She honored her word and named him Samuel, which means “God hears.”

I imagine Hannah’s prayer was full of reverence and humility. She still had hope, but she got to a place of desperation. How do we wait? Go ahead and admit, sometimes with an attitude. I know I’m guilty. She had the child that she wanted so badly and still gave him to God as a sacrifice for service. In turn, He blessed her with five more children. How many times have we made promises in prayer only to turn around and tell God “Ok, thanks!” and not honor our word? God blessed her because her heart was pure, she never lost hope, and he could trust her to hold true to her promises. Her prayer and sacrifice lined up with His will for Samuel’s life. He was groomed to become a great prophet.

The end of the scripture I mentioned earlier says that “A dream fulfilled is a tree of life.” That means it brings satisfaction and joy. Trees are supposed to produce, so when a dream is fulfilled it makes us fruitful. But we must continue to have hope. Even when things don’t appear to be working, if it is something we know God has promised us, we must have hope. Once Hannah got confirmation from Eli that she would have her baby, scripture said she was no longer sad. Delay does not mean denial. We must trust that God is strategic in His plans for our life. Isaiah 55:8-9 states “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways,” says the LORD. “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts.” He knows the end from the beginning, so our end of the deal is to just remain hopeful which in essence, means to have faith. Without faith it is impossible to please God.

So, I know we all are believing and hoping for God to come through in some area of our lives or the lives of our families and friends. It could be healing, a loved one coming back to Christ or going deeper in relationship with God, restoration of relationships, or believing for a child or a spouse. We all have something placed before God. I pray that we will continue to place our hope in God and not in the things we have need of. I pray that we will continue to be confident that our hope will not disappoint. I pray that we will have the strength and wisdom to go back to God in sincere, humble prayer. He is the God who sees and He is the God of unfailing love. May we understand that those who sow in tears shall reap with joy! “We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance.  And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation.  And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love.” (Romans 5:3-5) Be blessed beloved!

One last thing! Please like the @mybrokentobeautiful page on Facebook for encouragement and laughter throughout the week!