September 5, 2011
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In hope against hope believe, Blessed are all who believe
Genesis 15:1 After these things the word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision: “Fear not, Abram, I am your shield; your reward shall be very great.” 2 But Abram said, “O Lord GOD, what will you give me, for I continue childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?” 3 And Abram said, “Behold, you have given me no offspring, and a member of my household will be my heir.” 4 And behold, the word of the LORD came to him: “This man shall not be your heir; your very own son shall be your heir.” 5 And he brought him outside and said, “Look toward heaven, and number the stars, if you are able to number them.” Then he said to him, “So shall your offspring be.” 6 And he believed the LORD, and he counted it to him as righteousness.
Romans 4:18 In hope he [Abraham] believed against hope, that he should become the father of many nations, as he had been told, “So shall your offspring be.” 19 He did not weaken in faith when he considered his own body, which was as good as dead (since he was about a hundred years old), or when he considered the barrenness of Sarah's womb. 20 No distrust made him waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God, 21 fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised.
Hebrews 11:1 Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. 2 For by it the people of old received their commendation.
In hope against hope believe
Blessed are all who believeGrieving and barren one
Hear Him, My Beloved SonMy sheep, doubting sheep
Hear My voice, follow MeTake heed, be not deceived
From the stranger's voice fleeDo not succumb to devilish ploys
The thief kills, steals and destroysFrom doubt's stronghold be free
In hope against hope believeFrom your anxious labor cease
From self's tyranny be releasedMy holy nation can never be birthed
Through efforts wrought of the earthIn My bosom lie and be weaned
Take your eyes off what you seeHoly ambitions, Spirit-imparted dreams
Are never fulfilled through human schemesAll your striving is but vainglory
Unless you strive by Christ in theeFor your soul did I not bleed?
Be not afraid, only believeBruised reed, I will not break you,
Surely I will never leave or forsake youIn the famine, trust only Me
To Egypt do not look or fleeKeep on prostrating, pray unceasingly, fervently
Soon you will profess, "The Lord listened to me!"In the night there will be weeping
As the sun wakes you will be reapingYou will be like those who dream
Come and see the nations streamFrom every tongue and every tribe
All the Shepherd calls will come aliveIn hope against hope believe
Blessed are all who believe
Great shall be your peace
In hope against hope believe
Blessed is she who believes
I am able to perform what I speak
Blessed is she who believes
What I promised I will complete
In hope against hope believe
Blessed are all who believeDisconsolate soul
Come into My foldIn returning and rest
In quiet confidenceTrust in Me, be made whole
Enjoy riches untoldYield to My pure design
So shall your face shineFrom your works and ways cease
Beware the evil heart of unbeliefDo not fall into disobedience
Labor diligently to enter My restFrom your cheerless labor cease
In supplication find perfect peaceLook to God immortal, unseen
Hope for what you do not seeWith perseverance, wait eagerly
Hear the Spirit groan alongside theeWrap yourself in patient humility
In hope be filled with joy and peacePersevere to enter the year of My favor
Come and sup, My Person fully savorYou will never be disgraced
Drink of My sure deliveranceI will give rain for your seed
In the desert showers and streamsLift up your eyes beyond fleshly appetite
See the harvest ready, the fields whiteSo shall your offspring be
So shall your descendants beIn hope against hope believe
Blessed are all who believe
Great shall be your peace
In hope against hope believe
Blessed is she who believes
I am able to perform what I speak
Blessed is she who believes
What I promised I will complete
In hope against hope believe
Blessed are all who believeDisconcerted soul
Come into the foldThe great cloud
The faithful cloudThe cloud that speaks aloud
Faithful witnesses resoundThough dead, they still speak
In hope against hope believedIn hope against hope believe
Blessed is she who believesShow the same endurance
Do not become sluggishFor you are My seed
You shall plant and eatYou shall not labor in vanity
Or bear children for calamityFor you are My seed
And your children with theeGreat shall be your peace
In hope against hope believeEnlarge your tents, you shall possess
The nations for an inheritanceFor you are My seed
And your children with theeIn hope against hope believe
Blessed are all who believe
Great shall be your peace
In hope against hope believe
Blessed is she who believes
I am able to perform what I speak
Blessed is she who believes
What I promised I will complete
In hope against hope believe
Blessed are all who believeRomans 15:13 May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.Luke 1:45 And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her from the Lord.
Scripture quotations are taken from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. Copyright ©2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.Photo credit: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:ScoCen.jpg by Robert Mura - Public domain
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Comments (6)
((Hugs))
I needed that. Thank you, Karen Deer
Good Afternoon, Karen. I am on that side of the street where God in about 2 days let our grinding problems vanish into thin air. Life changed in an instant. I like this part of God's plan.
We do need to have hope in God through faith in Jesus. He is the ultimate Fixer Upper. Human effort is flimsy. His work is firm and final.
Now we rejoice for awhile until the next opportunity arrives requiring hope and faith.
Loved your poetry style of writing in this post.
blessings
frank
"In hope against hope, believe"
I needed that.
Did you write the poem?
@YouToMe - You're welcome, dear. (I needed it also.) (((hugs)))
@ANVRSADDAY - Yes, our lives are filled with those opportunities (trials, if necessary), in order that our faith be tested and refined, so it might be found to God's praise, honor and glory at Christ's appearing (I Peter 1). The consolation we have is that God's mercies are following us all the days of our lives, and He is sovereign and is superintending over every single trial.
@JstNotherDay - Thank you. I also needed it. Yes, I did write the poem, but pretty much all of it comes directly from various Scripture references. A few days ago, I awakened with a variation of Romans 4:18 in my head: "against hope believe," and then I reflected on it for some time and the poem slowly began to take shape. In the meantime, during that time, God greatly encouraged me and began to revive and restore my hope and faith.
@naphtali_deer - It was so well written that I thought it did come from the Bible.
Definitely inspired.
Interestingly enough I came across just that scripture about Abraham, in my reading tonight. I think God is trying to reach me with a message.
I feel that I need to keep the words, 'In hope against hope, believe', in my mind and heart.
I needed to read this AGAIN. Thanks deer one
I love your posts
They help nourish me more than you know