We watch the tide and observe the sky because hope prevails
We believe in good despite the waves because hope prevails
We blink back our tears and fight our fears because hope prevails
We stare danger in the eyes, for the soul of our child because hope prevails
We stifle the negative to birth courage because hope prevails
We see the flickering light amid the night because hope prevails
I don’t need to ask whether you’ve had low points or disappointments in the last year, because I am sure you have. I am sure you have had anxious moments, sad stories, and heart-breaking experiences. Still, hope is an anchor for our soul. Despite the waves, tides, storms, and disasters, hope prevails. Hope can never be killed.
Hope is an abiding conviction that life is more than our past negative experiences. Therefore this new year could be filled with new opportunities, new wins, new accomplishments, and long-desired breakthroughs.
The new year is one of the best times to renew your hope, in humanity, your loved ones, yourself, and in God. Maybe things did not turn out as you planned in the past year and maybe hope is difficult to find buried beneath disappointment after disappointment. Though your hope may feel buried it is certainly not dead. Our human nature is to thrive, to endure, to evolve, and to overcome.
Hope is a subset of faith. It is an irremovable inkling in our souls to keep believing and more specifically, to keep believing that good will come our way. First Corinthians 13:13 says, “these three remain: faith, hope, and love…” Indeed, despite everything that may be happening around you and even within you, faith remains, hope remains and love remains. Even though it has been two long years after the start of a pandemic with no end in sight, hope still remains. Despite joblessness, childlessness, and loneliness, hope remains. As the wind moves and cools the evening, so too hope is the cool assurance that God still knows us, loves us and longs for us to continue to put all our hope and trust in Him.
No one can steal your hope, nothing can erase your hope and everything around us testifies that hope remains. Be vigilant that you are never deceived by a lie that things will never change, that hoping in God is pointless and that you aren’t worth every good gift that God freely gives. Only believe the promise of God that His love for you brought Jesus to earth to sacrifice His life for you so that you can be free, righteous, and whole. Yes, you! If you were the only one who needed saving, Jesus would do it all over again.
I encourage you to unapologetically make wise decisions, create boundaries, and set goals that will allow you to live out your hope and transform your life. Speak words of life and hope this new year and declare “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” (Philippians 4:13). Jesus must be the foundation of your hope. He will never let you go. When you have no one else, you will always have Jesus. He is “the friend who sticks closer than a brother”. (Proverbs 18:24)
Every time I have been kicked down by life and I feel hopelessness beginning to seep into my heart, I fight back hard. I encourage you to fight against negative thoughts of unworthiness and defeating thoughts that too much time has passed. Fight against the well-intended voices that suggest that you ought to give up because your hope is unreasonable or unattainable.
It is a new year full of possibility and hope, so as you start 2022, expect God to do great things in your life. Don’t limit Him to past occurrences or disappointments but create a new point of reference that visualises the thing which you desire. See it in your mind’s eye and focus there.
At the start of each new year, I tend to spend time reflecting on one of my favourite scriptures that has kept my hope soaring year after year, “I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling [me]”. (Philippians 3:13-14)
Move on from the past, focus on the future, and let your hope soar!
Love Ya!
Krystal Baynes-Hoseinee
Start the year in the Word of God. Guide your time of prayer and study with this pocket-sized, easy-to-follow and relatable devotional book that contains reflections on 30 bible verses, a prayer, daily affirmations and additional scriptures for enhanced study. Order on Amazon or Whatsapp (868) 484-8728 for orders in T&T.
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