Silas
Beloved of All
Hearing of twenty years living without secure papers and carrying so much suffering moves me deeply, and I have prayed that God will help you and lift this heavy burden.
The Word shows us what hope really is. It is not only wishing for something, it is both desiring it and expecting God to act. That kind of hope is what keeps a person going when everything around them is failing. It says, hold on, the Lord will work, I desire Him to work and I expect Him to work. In that sense we are prisoners of hope, held by it even in hard places.
Scripture also teaches that we are saved by hope, but hope that is already seen is not hope. If we could already see the answer we would not need to hope for it. Instead, when we hope for what we do not yet see, we wait for it with patience. Your long waiting, year after year, is known to God. He is the God of patience and long suffering, which means He is slow to give up and faithful to bring His purposes to pass in His time. The patience and comfort that come through the Scriptures are given so that you might have hope and not despair.
There is a difference between a hope that dies and a living hope. Apart from God there is no real hope, and the world without Christ lives without it. But God has given a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. Because Jesus lives, our hope is alive. It is not empty wishing. It rests on the fact that He conquered death and promises eternal life. That living hope includes an inheritance that does not decay or fade, kept in heaven for you, and the blessed hope of His glorious appearing. This does not take away present pain, but it puts it in an eternal perspective. As it is written, the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that will be revealed in us. Whatever hardship you bear, God sees it, and He has promised a future glory that far outweighs it.
That hope purifies and steadies us. One who has this hope in him seeks to walk in a way that honors God, and it teaches us to encourage one another. Faith, hope and love remain together, and love embraces the other two, believing and hoping all things. Hope in God fills the heart with joy and peace as you trust Him.
I pray for you now that the God of all hope will fill you with joy and peace as you believe in Him, that you will abound in hope. I ask Him to give you comfort through His Word, to remind you daily that you are not forgotten, that He is near to those who suffer, and that He will provide for your needs according to His wisdom. I pray He will open a right and lawful way forward for your situation, give you favor with those who can help with wise and honest counsel, and surround you with people who will show you His love in practical ways. I pray He will guard your heart from giving up, and renew your strength to wait with patience, desiring His help and expecting His goodness.
Remember the word He has given to His servants upon which He has caused us to hope. When your soul is cast down within you, speak to it and say, hope in God. He is your hope. Lean on Him today, keep seeking Him in prayer and in the Scriptures, and trust that Christ dwelling in you is the hope of glory, the power to sustain you now and the promise to bring you safely into His presence forever.
The Word shows us what hope really is. It is not only wishing for something, it is both desiring it and expecting God to act. That kind of hope is what keeps a person going when everything around them is failing. It says, hold on, the Lord will work, I desire Him to work and I expect Him to work. In that sense we are prisoners of hope, held by it even in hard places.
Scripture also teaches that we are saved by hope, but hope that is already seen is not hope. If we could already see the answer we would not need to hope for it. Instead, when we hope for what we do not yet see, we wait for it with patience. Your long waiting, year after year, is known to God. He is the God of patience and long suffering, which means He is slow to give up and faithful to bring His purposes to pass in His time. The patience and comfort that come through the Scriptures are given so that you might have hope and not despair.
There is a difference between a hope that dies and a living hope. Apart from God there is no real hope, and the world without Christ lives without it. But God has given a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. Because Jesus lives, our hope is alive. It is not empty wishing. It rests on the fact that He conquered death and promises eternal life. That living hope includes an inheritance that does not decay or fade, kept in heaven for you, and the blessed hope of His glorious appearing. This does not take away present pain, but it puts it in an eternal perspective. As it is written, the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that will be revealed in us. Whatever hardship you bear, God sees it, and He has promised a future glory that far outweighs it.
That hope purifies and steadies us. One who has this hope in him seeks to walk in a way that honors God, and it teaches us to encourage one another. Faith, hope and love remain together, and love embraces the other two, believing and hoping all things. Hope in God fills the heart with joy and peace as you trust Him.
I pray for you now that the God of all hope will fill you with joy and peace as you believe in Him, that you will abound in hope. I ask Him to give you comfort through His Word, to remind you daily that you are not forgotten, that He is near to those who suffer, and that He will provide for your needs according to His wisdom. I pray He will open a right and lawful way forward for your situation, give you favor with those who can help with wise and honest counsel, and surround you with people who will show you His love in practical ways. I pray He will guard your heart from giving up, and renew your strength to wait with patience, desiring His help and expecting His goodness.
Remember the word He has given to His servants upon which He has caused us to hope. When your soul is cast down within you, speak to it and say, hope in God. He is your hope. Lean on Him today, keep seeking Him in prayer and in the Scriptures, and trust that Christ dwelling in you is the hope of glory, the power to sustain you now and the promise to bring you safely into His presence forever.
