HOPE
Recently upon preparing to write this article, I had a dream. I knew the message it carried not only spoke to me, but it was to be shared with everyone.
DREAM
I am standing in front of a man, who I believe is a bird keeper. Without saying a word, the bird keeper somehow persuades me to stretch my right arm so that this completely yellow, slim, very long tail feathered bird lands on my outstretched arm. At the keeper’s tiniest prompt, this pale yellow bird opens its huge wings and serenely glides over from where the keeper is standing over to me. The bird lands on my arm and I can feel its claws and soft fleshy part of its feet tightly gripping my forearm. I am feeling hesitant and nervous (mainly because I don’t like birds!). The bird keeper is watching my reaction and he is gently smiling at my awkwardness. Then I forget about my uneasiness and I am just staring at this beautiful bird perching on my arm in amazement.
I believe the interpretation of the dream is this: the bird keeper is Jesus. Dreaming of color yellow represents “hope” and bird is a “symbol of spirit”. Forearm represents “strength” and “faith”.
I believe the Lord is saying that many of us, whilst waiting for certain promises to come to pass, have slowly and maybe unintentionally started to let go of our hope in particular promises. Or maybe you have been waiting for your breakthrough for many years, and what you so fervently believed was God’s word for your life, 10-15 years on, the same word has lost its fire and over time has faded away. Maybe the consistent waves of this world have slowly eroded your hope in His promise(s) for your life. Its possible that there is doubt in your heart and mind that you think maybe you “heard wrong” and with this thought, perhaps you have dismissed the promise(s) altogether. If this is your situation, I believe the Lord wants to speak to you.
I know that the Lord wants us to believe and hope again, especially in this season, because He has already released the Spirit of Hope (yellow bird) over us but we need to provide a resting place for the bird to land on (arm). We need to be ready to receive the “bird” and even though it may feel awkward, He wants us to look at the Spirit of Hope straight in the eye until we shun the feeling of awkwardness and start to believe in His goodness again. We as believers are called to recognize the power of our Hope in Christ against the backdrop of hopelessness of this world. In my view, our Hope in Jesus is more than a motivational thought or a wish. It is a firm belief that our Father is longing to show His goodness to us.
Hope is acute awareness that the Lord is for us. Like in my dream, some may feel reluctant to receive the bird (Hope), but His gentle gaze is instructing us to trust Him. He is telling us to let His Spirit of Hope land on you, feel its weight, be mesmerized by its beauty and deeply understand that His Word over us has not lost it’s potency regardless of how long ago it was spoken. His Word is eternal. In reference to the timing of fulfillment of His Word, Habakkuk (2:3) writes, “…if it seems slow in coming, wait patiently, for it will surely take place. It will not be delayed.”
In today’s world, hope simply means something that may or may not happen. For example, we hear people say, “I hope the weather is nice.” Or people may say, “don’t get your hopes up”, and they rationalize this by saying that “if I don’t expect anything good to happen, I won’t be disappointed when it doesn’t”. People say that to safeguard themselves against hurt, pain or disappointment. In stark contrast, the word Hope in the Bible means something completely different. It calls God, the “God of Hope”. I read a Jewish article recently where the word Hope “chacah” means: “to trust”, “to confide in”, and “to have hope”. This term is used when God is compared to a shield, a rock, or described as one with protective wings. “He ‘only’ is my rock and my salvation; He is my defense” Psalm 62:2. Another word for hope in Hebrew is “yachal” which means; “to be patient”, “wait”, “trust”, “to stay in expectation”. “Therefore I will look to the Lord; I will wait for the God of my salvation; My God will hear me”. The article concluded to say that the word “Hope” in Hebrew means, “to expect” or have “expectation”.
The world around us is plunged in darkness and hopelessness, with many people turning to different mediums in search for inner peace and hope. Only by knowing Jesus intimately has made me realize the true meaning of Hope, and I am still learning the unique authority Hope (in Him) brings in my daily walk with Him. To us believers, Hope is not vague or wishy-washy but an action we must choose on a daily basis. I truly believe that during the waiting period (though immensely tough), He is refining our character and molding us, provided we remain in Him. Isaiah 40:31 says, “But they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.”
When we embrace Hope on purpose, it influences our thoughts, it sparks joy and it fuels us to press forward towards our destiny in Him.
I pray that today you will let the Holy Spirit grip your whole being with His eternal Hope, and truly believe that He has a great future for you. The Lord spoke through Jeremiah (29:11) to remind us of this sure promise: “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”
Dare to believe in His goodness. He will not let you down.
Werda Gill
