Proverbs 13:12 “Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a dream fulfilled is a tree of life.”

We have all experienced it; aspirations, desires and hopes put on pause due to circumstances that are beyond our control.  When anticipated aspirations gradually turn into delayed doubtful desires, individuals often lose the inspiration that ignited them. They believe their aspirations were never meant to be.

When it seems that you keep missing the mark of expectancy, trust GOD. If your aspirations seem barren, have faith. At the right time, those lifeless aspirations will emerge from your laboring pains. They will serve as a testimonial outcry of God coming through to heal everything concerning you. Hallelujah! Thank you, God, for coming through in healing everything about your children! To God Be the Glory. 

So, remember what Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. said: “We must accept finite disappointment, but never lose infinite hope.” When you know you’re doing something good, you might face setbacks. Let hope be the fuel that moves you ahead. Recognize that the goodness of God doesn’t stop with your disappointment. His hope is infinite! When your best intentions fail, hope reminds you that God is still working.

The word “deferred” suggests that what you hope for is postponed or delayed, not denied. Yet, the delay can cause deep frustration, weariness, and even despair. It’s easy to feel forgotten or to wonder if God is listening.

What do you do when your hope is deferred?

• Acknowledge Your Feelings: It’s okay to feel disappointed or weary during a season of waiting. Bring these emotions to God in prayer, trusting that He understands your pain and is with you in it.
• Hold Onto God’s Promises: Meditate on scriptures that remind you of God’s faithfulness and His perfect timing. This can anchor your soul in hope.
• Seek God’s Perspective: Sometimes, what we perceive as delay is God’s way of preparing us for something greater. Ask God to help you see your situation from His perspective and to trust in His wisdom.
• Celebrate Small Victories: While waiting for the fulfillment of a larger hope, look for small victories. Find blessings in your life. These can be sources of joy and reminders that God is at work, even in the waiting.
• What is one thing that you are hoping for that you are not getting? What one disappointment is giving you a downcast soul? God says that a deferred hope will make your soul-sick. But if we get our fulfillment from Him we will be as strong as a tree of life! In whatever area you are losing hope, focus your heart on the Lord and praise God, your Saviour. That will take away your downcast soul. And hoping in Him, not in any one thing, event or circumstance, will lift you up.

“Darkness comes. In the middle of it, the future looks blank. The temptation to quit is huge. Don’t. You are in good company… You will argue with yourself that there is no way forward. But with God, nothing is impossible. He has more ropes and ladders and tunnels out of pits than you can conceive. Wait. Pray without ceasing. Hope.” John Piper