Hope that Doesn't Disappoint

Autumn

view from my bedroom window this morning

November 12, 2013

Return to your fortress,

you prisoners of hope;

even now I announce that I will restore

twice as much to you.

- Zechariah 9:12

But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength;

they shall mount up with wings as eagles;

they shall run, and not be weary;

and they shall walk, and not faint.

- Isaiah 40:31

There, having been justified by faith,

we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,

through whom also we have access by faith

into this grace in which we stand,

and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.

And not only that,

but we also glory in tribulations,

knowing that tribulation produces perseverance;

and perseverance, character;

and character, hope.

Now hope does not disappoint,

because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts

by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.

- Romans 5:1-5

If the world hates you,

keep in mind that it hated Me first.

If you belonged to the world,

it would love you as its own.

- John 15:18

It's been about ten weeks since I arrived here in the USA. 

During the long flight from Manila and layovers at several airports on my way here, I had enough time to ponder on this new journey I was embarking on. 

Our life is never really lived at the mere physical level, whether we are aware of it or not. 

This life is always about the spiritual.  

What happens externally gives an indication of what is going on internally. 

Thus, making a physical "location statement" from time to time helps me be aware of where I am spiritually.

Every choice I make affects me at the spiritual level.

It has taken me years before I finally understood this, but living my life as a spiritual being has helped me go through my daily circumstances with peace and acceptance.

I also believe that my life story did not begin only when I was conceived in my mother's womb; there are many events dating from the past that contribute to who I am.

Somewhere in the past, choices and investments were made that have contributed to my spiritual DNA and given shape to the person I am today. 

What the psalmist wrote in Psalm 139:16 has spoken to me countless times before:

Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed.

And in Your book they all were written,

The days fashioned for me,

When as yet there were none of them.

There is a divine plan for my life, a story unfolding.

However, it also requires my active participation in this plan, somewhat like an interactive program where I can input my own responses and choices. I am not a mere pawn in God's scheme of things; He has a plan for my life... a story that has been written before I was even born. 

At the same time, I am an active contributor to my own life story, and in that sense the story is also being written right this very moment.

I make choices, choices that determine how I live. God has a plan, but I can be a willing and obedient partner with Him in this plan... because I am not a robot or a puppet, but a being with a free will. God respects my choices and will not violate my will. 

He does not ram His plan down my throat, even if He knows it is the best plan for me.

He guides, He leads, He opens opportunities.

I am free to choose the path on which I want to travel, although God in His divine providence, sends warnings and even hindrances, when I am really on my way to grave danger.

For the most part, it is really up to me whether I want to live for the temporal -- making choices that gratify my earthbound and physical desires... or to live for the eternal -- and make choices that contribute to my spiritual growth and maturation.

It goes without saying that the physical component of my life is essential to my fulfilling the eternal, divine purposes of my Creator for me.

We have jobs, buy groceries, cook our meals, eat good food, do the laundry, mow the lawn. We pay our bills, and plan ahead for contingencies. That is good stewardship.

But, the physical side of me is not the master... it is the servant. 

The physical requirements of living in this world does not dictate to me how I should live my life for eternity.

There is a much higher, supernatural dimension to life that is the basis of what I believe.

What I believe determines how I live... the choices I make... the words I speak.

And this is what I believe: that I was not created to live forever here on earth. I was created to live in heaven. 

Earth is only a shadow, a dim reflection of the beauty that heaven is.

If I live my life on earth with this heavenly perspective, investing my time, efforts, and resources in my "treasures in heaven bank account," as Craig Hill, the senior leader of Family Foundations International, calls it... then I actually begin living in heaven right here on earth.

Even the adversities, injustices, and reversals we encounter serve a higher purpose.

Forgiving someone who has wronged or disappointed us becomes a privilege, not a duty.

We can live in the midst of uncertainties with genuine joy.

The physical serves the spiritual.

As I look around me, it is obvious that this world is on its way to self-destruction. But that doesn't fill my heart with fear or dread, for I know who holds my life in His hands. I have a vital relationship with a supernatural Being, Almighty God Himself, who sits on the throne and knows all the answers.

The belief that "heaven helps those who help themselves" is a deadly mindset that leads to eternal doom. If this were true, what about the case of the widow of Zarephath?

For indeed there are times when we have done our best, and still all our physical resources will run out. We have to put our trust in a Power higher than ourselves. 

I believe that there are no ifs and buts to genuine faith in God.

The widow of Zarephath thought all she depended on to live were a handful of flour and a little oil, and that when all she had was exhausted, she and her son would surely die.

That is living on a purely physical plane.

Unknown to the widow, she was about to be elevated to the level of the supernatural... way beyond her human comprehension. And she saw for herself how the meager supply of flour and oil never ran out... and she and her son never got hungry.

I am learning to look at life from the vantage point of that widow.

On the plane coming here, I had an experience of God's peace when I surrendered this new journey to Him, telling Him that this trip may not have been on my original agenda for this year, but I was willing to submit to His higher agenda for me in this season.

I have to remind myself of what He spoke to me as this year was just starting:

You are leaving your season of grief and loss, and entering into a season of replacement.

I translate that into words of Scripture that I have come to know by heart, and personalize them to fit my present situation. I take it to mean that God is saying these specific words of promise to me:

I will repay you for all the years that the locust has eaten.

You will proclaim the year of My favor... and the day of My vengeance.

That you may comfort all who mourn...

That you may console those who grieve in Zion...

I am giving you beauty for ashes, 

the oil of joy instead of mourning

the garment of praise instead of the spirit of heaviness...

because I want you to be among those who are called "trees of righteousness," the planting of the Lord, that I may be glorified.

This specific word has such an impact on my heart, so powerful I cannot describe the hope that surges up from deep within.

Abba Father continues to speak:

Do not fear, for you will not be ashamed...

Neither will you be disgraced...

You will not be humiliated...

For you will forget the shame of your youth...

And will not remember the reproach of your widowhood anymore...

FOR YOUR MAKER IS YOUR HUSBAND,

THE LORD OF HOSTS IS HIS NAME

AND YOUR REDEEMER IS THE HOLY ONE OF ISRAEL...

HE IS CALLED THE GOD OF THE WHOLE EARTH.

So, this life is not about how well I can fend for myself.

It is how well I can trust Him in the midst of my circumstances.

Because if I will be honest... every joy that this life has to offer is short-lived.

The new car loses its novelty. The washing machine breaks down. The new laptop is soon outmoded. The money eventually runs out. My body becomes sick. A relationship in which I had invested and believed disappoints me in the end. 

Life lived on the purely physical plane soon becomes meaningless and boring. 

And tiring. 

Because to sustain my "joy" at living on this plane, I constantly have to look for something more.

But my life story being written and lived out in partnership with the One writing it brings so much meaning and joy that doesn't get depleted with every new disappointment that I face.

It is not what I want... but what He wants.

My opinion of practically anything here on earth is not the final say on the matter. I could very well be wrong. I need not position myself as the final arbiter and judge of people's motives and characters, as well as of the current world events and personal circumstances confronting me on a daily basis.

I can bend, adjust, and accept what changes there are to the way I thought my life was supposed to be.

Life's disappointments may catch me off guard momentarily... but it can turn out to be a beautiful surprise after all!

A door of hope stands open before me, and I have entered that door. This new journey I have embarked on ... is a continuation of the story that God has written long before I was born. 

A few days ago, my country was hit by catastrophic storm Haiyan whose fury and power have been described as "off the charts." 

This too, is part of my life story. What affects my land and people affects me. We stand as one nation under our flag. 

photo source

Never before has anything of this magnitude happened to us. In the face of such a calamity, my humble opinion is that no amount of preparation could have been good enough. 

Tacloban, capital of Leyte, once a beautiful quiet coastal city...

photo source

 reduced to ruins by monster storm Haiyan

photo source 

Entire communities, beautiful coastal areas and fishing villages, washed away in six islands where the super typhoon made landfall. In the island of Leyte, the capital city of Tacloban was said to be 95 percent destroyed by two bodies of water powerfully surging inland on top of the 235 kph winds mercilessly battering down the island for at least four hours.

And they say this storm was fast moving. It could have been much worse.

As more news reach us of the widespread devastation that Haiyan/Yolanda left in its wake, we as a nation have two choices before us: to look up in hope, living out our inner nobility, or to wring our hands in fear and despair, and go the path that hopeless mortals take.

My heart breaks for my countrymen. A deep compassion is stirred up within me. If I were back in my own homeland, I would not have second thoughts about joining a mercy team to offer what little help I could -- be it as a relief volunteer, or as a grief counselor lending a compassionate embrace to someone so emotionally wounded and bruised.

Nevertheless I am aware that as mere humans, we can only do so much.

Our ultimate help is in the name of the Lord.

Being so far away from home, I have spent sleepless nights crying before my God Whom I know to be merciful and wise beyond human comprehension, 

...praying in a language the Spirit alone understands because human words at this point cannot express what I feel, 

...asking Abba Father to come draw near my people, and open their eyes to the true nobility that is in them, no matter what their present circumstances may say.

This storm is definitely not a chance event. Destructive as it may have been, Abba Father was not asleep in the boat while the fierce winds blew. 

We all know that out of the ashes and ruins will rise something glorious and eternally beautiful.

But for now, my countrymen do not need to hear any religious platitudes.

More than 10,000 are believed to have died. Those who survived are not really better off, in a manner of speaking.

Grieving the loss of loved ones and homes, the stench of decomposing bodies around them is inescapable.  

More than mere words, they need something more tangible... food, clothing, drinking water, a roof above their heads. 

They need bathrooms for their personal necessities. They haven't had a decent bath, much less, a decent meal, in days.

It will be that way for many more days to come.

They have been severely physically and emotionally battered. When the shock wears off, they face a more painful reality.

Those whose homes were left standing are in grave danger of mob rule; lawlessness is the name of the game in areas where the local government is no longer able to function. 

Policemen in uniform also lie dead on the streets littered with debris. Soldiers' barracks were washed off to sea, and several of them have not been accounted for.

On another island a huge power barge slammed inland and sprung an oil leak -- threatening the once beautiful pristine shores and waters of that place.

It is clearly not an easy task our government is facing.

We are truly grateful as a people, the response from the rest of the world is swift. But even this will be short lived.

Our ultimate help is in the name of the Lord alone. 

And as I read between the lines of this story, I see HOPE written in big, bold letters.

I have no doubt Abba Father will come and rescue... provide a way of healing and restoration.

It is a national cleansing, so to speak. Exposing our nation's faulty foundations, redeeming the twisted mindset and conscience that we have come to embrace as a people.

Abba Father is renewing the core of our belief system, for there is a prophetic destiny that is on its way to being fulfilled. 

But there is a price to pay. 

Are we willing to pay the high cost of pain and sacrifice... willing to humble ourselves... to seek the heart of God... and align ourselves with His purposes for us?  

Maybe it is easier said than done, but may Abba Father help me as I say, "Yes, I am willing."

Let me sow seeds of hope that will impact this nation's destiny. 

Of this I am sure: the Philippines will rise again - in honor and dignity.

I close my ears to the deceiving voices of the enemy that say otherwise.

"For a mere moment I have forsaken you,

But with great mercies I will gather you.

With a little wrath I hid my face from you for a moment;

But with everlasting kindness I will have mercy on you,"

says the LORD, your Redeemer.

- Isaiah 54:8

Today my second grandson, Andre Elijah, whom I have named Full of Hope (and also named Mighty Warrior by my blog friend Stephanie), celebrates his third birthday.

Inspired by the recent events affecting our nation today, here is my birthday blessing and faith declaration for this precious boy.

Full of Hope looking so grown up at his third birthday party

Three years ago today you came into this world, dear Full of Hope.

I still remember the circumstances of your birth. We were trusting God to intervene in your behalf. 

You were battling for your life, for you had to be resuscitated when you came out of your mother's womb, and pneumonia had set in.

Those were days and nights of kneeling before God's throne, and I was sure of only one thing that God Himself had spoken to me as my friend Trudi and I were praying together, waiting for your arrival: that God does all things well.

"I do all things well." Those were God's assuring words for me when I had no idea what was going to happen at your birth.

And today, that promise has never been forgotten by me, dear grandson.

Abba Father led me to choose a name for you. "He shall be named Elijah." But I said nothing about this to your parents. I treasured it in my heart.

I had just arrived from Manila, a few days before your birth. Your Papa and I were having a quiet meal together when he said, "Mom, my wife and I have already decided on a name for the baby. She wants to name him Andre, and I have chosen Elijah for his second name."

I remember leaping from my chair and hugging your father with joy. Even if I had never mentioned it to him, God spoke it to his heart as well.

You will also be called "Full of Hope" - because that is what you are. 

And "Mighty Warrior" - because you do not easily give up in the face of seeming defeat.

As we were waiting for you to recover in the neonatal ICU, your mom would hold you close to her heart, and speak life to your little body. And I would also look at you through the glass, so tiny, so fragile... "You will live and fulfill your destiny, Full of Hope. You will live from the standpoint of victory, Mighty Warrior."

Today, your third birthday, I speak the same things to you. As your name implies... you will be a bringer of hope to everyone you encounter.

You will look at the seeming rock bottoms and dead ends of life, and yet you will not see despair, but hope shining in the darkness.

Forerunner and Full of Hope

In the midst of the desperation around us today, the devastation and the ruin... I speak to your little heart that you will be in touch with your true nobility as a child of the King.

Your heart will be filled with faith even in the face of an impossible situation. For with God nothing is impossible.

I declare that you will be an agent of hope, a speaker of truth, wherever you go.

You will be schooled early in life to make choices that develop perseverance and patience.

The world defines hope as something desired but not certain.

But Abba Father points us to a different kind of hope... hope in Him as a promise keeper, hope in Him as a trustworthy God.

Hope that is certain, because He who made the promise is dependable.

Who hopes for what they already have?

But if we hope for what we do not yet have,

we wait for it patiently.

- Romans 8:24-25

Live your life in light of God's hope, because God's hope doesn't disappoint!

Arise and fulfill your destiny, little one.

Blessings abound as you enter your third year of life!

Much love,

Nana

At Full of Hope's third birthday party, with Aunt God-given, Uncle First Born, cousin Forerunner, mom Chosen One, maternal grandma Nanay Po, and dad Worshiper