Hope Is Not A Thing To Be Lost, But A Person To Be Met

By Nikki Lane

 I will never forget it. Although it was about four years ago, it seems like yesterday.  There was a season in my life when I HATED the word “Hope”.  And when I say hated, that’s exactly what I mean. If I heard the word, I would cringe. When I would see a verse in the Bible with the word, I would shake my head in disbelief.  I didn’t feel like hope existed.  I hated everything about it. I remember one morning during chapel service at Dallas Baptist University, we were singing the song “How Great is Our God”, for those of you that have never heard it, the chorus says—
 
How great is our God
Sing with me
How great is our God
And all will see
How great, how great is our God

In the middle of this song, I left the chapel service.  I left because I didn’t believe the lyrics were true; and I certainly wasn’t going to sing something I didn’t believe. I didn’t think God was great. Quite frankly, I thought He was mean. I thought He was someone who didn’t keep His promises. I was mad at Him—really mad. I had lost all hope, peace, and joy.  I remember one friend telling me I was like a “zombie”; I had no life in me.

A few months went by and a few friends and I decided to go on a road trip to Arkansas.  The Lord knew I just wanted to get away. I wanted to get away from all that I knew as “life” and just be alone.  I even wanted to get away from Him.  We cross the Arkansas state line and it isn’t long before we see a city ahead. Can you guess what the name of the city was? Yep, you guessed it. HOPE. Hope, Arkansas. What the crap? I didn’t even know there was such a place! The Lord knew.

We went to a church in Arkansas on the Sunday that we were there. It’s not going to surprise you when I tell you the sermon was about going through trials. The pastor talked about how trials are painful, but the pain will not be wasted. Perfect timing to say the least, eh?

Check out Philippians 4:19: "And this same God who takes care of me will supply all your needs from his glorious riches, which have been given to us in Christ Jesus."

I wanted to get away…from everything.  And the Lord met me there. He met me right where I was; not only physically— in Hope, Arkansas – but spiritually and emotionally too. He knew exactly what I needed. He restored Hope to me that weekend by giving me Himself. HE is Hope. Be encouraged today, regardless of where you are, God can and will meet you and restore to you all that you’ve lost.  He is able.