PRINCE OF PEACE

Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel. Curds and honey He shall eat, that He may know to refuse the evil and choose the good.  

Isaiah 7:13-15

Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
Matthew 11:28

Our Prince of Peace restructured the heart of humanity and therefore changed and lit the whole world. This sermon curates some of the highlights of His life in order to help you restore or retain the peace He offers you.

Though it could be reasonably argued that there are faults in elements of celebration of the Christmas season, if Jesus is the center of them all, the purpose of the day, then a blessed season it will be.

• PRINCE OF PEACE

“I see Him, but not now;
I behold Him, but not near;
A Star shall come out of Jacob;
A Scepter shall rise out of Israel, ...
Numbers 24:17

The birth of Jesus was prophesied of in the Old Testament. Jesus is the obvious star of the New Testament, but God intended from the beginning for a messiah to arrive, align and heal His children.

For unto us a Child is born,
Unto us a Son is given;
And the government will be upon His shoulder.
And His name will be called
Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. 

Of the increase of His government and peace
There will be no end,
Upon the throne of David and over His kingdom,
To order it and establish it with judgment and justice
From that time forward, even forever.
The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this.
Isaiah 9:6-7

Indeed, Jesus has always been our story. We are loved thoroughly by God; He realized from before our first breath that we would require such qualities as Jesus would possess in order to spiritually survive and thrive. Let's think about those qualities listed in the ninth chapter of Isaiah more deeply:

Jesus is called Wonderful. The original word was "Pele" and means a miracle, a marvelous thing; wonder, marvel. Jesus is the miracle so many pray for and few actually see. He is the answer to every prayer, the strength for every weakness, the balm for every wound, the hope for every situation, the light of every life, the love for every heart. The wonder of Jesus is that a relationship with Him compensates for any lack a person could ever have. 

Jesus is called Counselor. A lifelong conversation with Jesus is a prayerful life. He is present, vigilant and available for consult each moment of our day or night. Because He is so aware of every detail of our situation, and so very familiar with us as unique individuals, He is able to provide specific, tailored advice. He powerfully, subtly, leads us toward the answer we need. To welcome the presence and counsel of Jesus into your your heart, your life and your situation is to be given the objective perspective and divine-strength necessary to proceed with purposeful wisdom.

Jesus is called Mighty God. Our Messiah is a multifaceted entity... praise God. Praise God because while Jesus is gentle and kind and wonderful, He is also a powerful authority. We require a powerful authority to confront the tenacious corruption of our enemies. We need a God who is gentle and fierce. We need a good Who is as wonderful to us as He is frightening to our adversaries. 

Jesus is called Everlasting Father. We need a God who is a father. We need Him to love us and discipline us. We need Him to raise us well and also rest us thoroughly. We need a God who is a shelter, a haven, a home. And we need Him forever. In God and Jesus we have steadfast presence and loyalty, such that we could never receive from any other source.

Jesus is called Prince of Peace. In the tumult of a world of people and a body of emotions we sometimes cannot understand or endure, we have the peace of Jesus. Our relationship with Jesus provides the hope and remembrance we need when we forget that difficulty and darkness are temporary. Jesus' peace soothes us as we remember God's plan, which Jesus brought to us, in order to assure us that there is purpose and order and justice in life. The greatest peace is knowing that God is in control and has a righteous, compassionate, restorative plan that is in the works this very moment!

• AN ANGEL ARRIVED

Then the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name Jesus. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David. And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end.” 

Then Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I do not know a man?” And the angel answered and said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God. For with God nothing will be impossible.” 

Then Mary said, “Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her.

Luke 1:30-35;37-38

God's sense of humor cannot be denied; it is especially noticeable when He reveals an aspect of His plan to one of His children. He is always able to baffle and astound because His plans consistently exceed our limitations. Jesus' birth is our reminder that God has grand plans within our own lives that are not subject to any rules, norms or possibilities.

Mary is our reminder to always consent when God offers to run the course of our life in accordance with His word. For God certainly chooses us for tasks we would, not unreasonably, deem too lofty for our own capabilities. And they would be too big for us without Him. It is only through firm, focused faith that we able to keep our lives on the course of God's will.

The birth of Jesus through Mary, of the Holy Spirit, is extraordinary especially in that it is the melding of the natural world as we know it with the super-natural, spiritual world Jesus has taught. In no other moment had humanity been so-joined with God than in the birth of Jesus. Our former brothers-and-sisters-in-faith did not have Jesus as we have Him now. The Holy Spirit had not yet permeated the hearts of any who called upon it. We have continuous, persistent, intimate connection with God. It was such unprecedented and joyous a moment that a multitude of angels and the glory of the Lord were present (Luke 2:9;13).

Together they celebrated the gift we now have today, this precise moment and its immediate and even everlasting future.

• BLESSED ARE THEY

Baby Jesus grew up and with His ministry redesigned the whole philosophy of the earth. In various ways, He taught the opposite of what the system of the world had been teaching, introducing such concepts as humility and mercy and servitude.

And seeing the multitudes, He went up on a mountain, and when He was seated His disciples came to Him. Then He opened His mouth and taught them, saying:

“Blessed are the poor in spirit,
For theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 

Blessed are those who mourn,
For they shall be comforted. 

Blessed are the meek,
For they shall inherit the earth. 

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
For they shall be filled. 

Blessed are the merciful,
For they shall obtain mercy. 

Blessed are the pure in heart,
For they shall see God. 

Blessed are the peacemakers,
For they shall be called sons of God.  

Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake,
For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Matthew 5:1-10

Jesus taught the shocking message that it was actually the weak who were strong, the lowly who were exalted and the hungry who were fed. Jesus taught the concept of "we reap what we sow" and suddenly it was wise to invest and participate in the well-being of others. He shifted humanity's perspective in a manner which would enable the little and lowly of the world to be seen and valued, and cared for. 

Jesus taught us that if our primary pursuit was the kingdom of God, there would be progressive purpose in everything that we do and more than sufficient provision to do it, (most specifically noted in Matthew 6:33). Jesus' message rendered the former way obsolete and even regressive. It could no longer be thought that it was prudent to disregard the meek and needy. Self-promotion and progression by any means necessary in order to be wealthy and recognized as prominent, no longer held logic since Jesus taught that God's eyes were on those who gave more than they had and held no esteemed position in society. 

“You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lamp-stand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.

Matthew 5:14-15

Moreover, Jesus gave us purpose when He revealed to us to our influence. Jesus gave us value when He revealed that God trusted us to make an impact here with our words and behavior. We may have once believed ourselves to be too minuscule to matter, our lives too happenstance for purpose, but because of Jesus we cannot think that anymore; we have been taught otherwise.

• SON OF THE FATHER

Jesus taught us a valuable lesson in His temporary death and the events that led up to it: his message was contrary to the world and therefore was rejected by it (John 15:19). Changing our lifestyle in accordance with God's will would definitely make us popular with God, and would just as definitely make us peculiar to the world (and thus unpopular in it). 

There was an opportunity for Jesus to be released from prison before the crucifixion, but He was not released, because had a message for us.

Now at the feast the governor was accustomed to releasing to the multitude one prisoner whom they wished. And at that time they had a notorious prisoner called Barabbas. Therefore, when they had gathered together, Pilate said to them, “Whom do you want me to release to you? Barabbas, or Jesus who is called Christ?” 

But the chief priests and elders persuaded the multitudes that they should ask for Barabbas and destroy Jesus. The governor answered and said to them, “Which of the two do you want me to release to you?” They said, “Barabbas!” Pilate said to them, “What then shall I do with Jesus who is called Christ?” They all said to him, “Let Him be crucified!” 

Then the governor said, “Why, what evil has He done?” But they cried out all the more, saying, “Let Him be crucified!” When Pilate saw that he could not prevail at all, but rather that a tumult was rising, he took water and washed his hands before the multitude, saying, “I am innocent of the blood of this just Person. You see to it.”

And all the people answered and said, “His blood be on us and on our children.” Then he released Barabbas to them; and when he had scourged Jesus, he delivered Him to be crucified.

Matthew 27:15-16;20-26

Jesus, though innocent, took the place of the guilty man... and continues to do so each and every time someone professes themselves to God. He lived and died and resurrected in order that we would receive the message that gives eternal life. We are not condemned to death because He has earned our eligibility redemption.

Jesus is referred to as 'Son of God' and the guilty man's name, Barabbas, means son of the father. We are all children of God, but who do we recognize as our father? Jesus revealed that we have a good Father in Heaven, the Father of righteousness. Barabbas had chosen to be a child, a product of unrighteousness. Jesus preferred a Father, a family and even the repentant sinners were welcomed into it; it was in Jesus' heart even to forgive the ignorant (Luke 23:34).

Jesus' life and death and resurrection provided us with a choice: will we accept our place as a child of God?

• PEACE I GIVE TO YOU 

“If you love Me, keep My commandments. And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever— the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you. I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you.

John 14:15-18

“These things I have spoken to you while being present with you. But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you. Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. You have heard Me say to you, ‘I am going away and coming back to you.’

John 14:25-28

We celebrate Jesus' birth because since before even the moment of conception, He has been our advocate. Jesus is spiritually present, but because of His physical absence, He knew that we would need support. In the Holy Spirit, we have it. We have Him. We have an intangible, inexplicably, but undeniable, comfort, provision and power that sustains and propels us. 

All we have to do to receive it is to welcome Him into ourselves, our lives, our thoughts, choices and actions. And why wouldn't we? Jesus offers the sweetest peace and promise. 

 “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father. And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask anything in My name, I will do it.

John 14:12-14

Within the will of God is an extraordinary place to be because possibility is endless. Within His ancient and established, everlasting kingdom are new glories, fresh inspirations, unprecedented occurrences. The Prince of Peace connected us to the God of vitality and proliferation. Our creator is a masterful artist and architect who gives attention to the details of the details of life. If you are able to dream of and pray for anything which enhances your little portion the Kingdom, God is able to do it. Trust Him to do it and deliver it in the time and material and way that He decides is best. Let God's will enhance your dream.

Finally, if you need a reminder of how to serve God this season, listen to Jesus' parting advice. It's simple.

...“If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him.
John 14:23

And if the boisterous demands of the season are draining your peace, distracting you from the purpose of the season, and causing you to feel feebly alone, remember that you have never been alone.

"I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
Matthew 28:20

NOT SO FAST

‘Why have we fasted,’ they say, ‘and You have not seen?'

Isaiah 58:3

Fasting is a fairly popular practice among Christians. It is a religious observance during which one abstains from food or drink, and more recently, things or habits. While fasting can be a helpful or even restorative practice for oneself, the practice of a fast is done quite differently when it is for God.

When a person fasts, the removal of a certain thing allows a space in which a person can focus on God or an aspect of personal character that requires improvement. The meaningfulness of the fast is dependent on fulfillment of the vow made to God; but still, this type of fast is not for God. God described the type of fast that is acceptable to Him in Isaiah 58.

When a personal fast is undertaken with wholehearted and genuine intention, it does not displease God. Character growth is important and somethings things need to be resisted in order to re-align ourselves with the word of God. However, God does not appreciate public, superficial fasting. It was such a fast that caused Him to speak out and describe to us exactly what He expects from a fast we expect to receive His attention from.

• THE CONDITION OF FASTING

It must be understood that God requires any fast to be a private practice of which only oneself and God is aware. If it is done for attention or any other selfish motivation, it will not be acknowledged by God. Jesus explained in Matthew 7:21-23 that there are many people who think they are known by God, because they go through the motions of religious practices, but actually are not:

“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’

This is because some people turn religion into a business or a series of superficial rituals. What they do they do to gain money, followers, attention or power. Even if they truly believe in God, their selfish motivation negates the purpose of their plan. How then do we fast with unselfish motivation? Jesus explained in Matthew 6:16-18:

Moreover when ye fast, be not, as the hypocrites, of a sad countenance: for they disfigure their faces, that they may appear unto men to fast. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.

Do not be a hypocrite. A person who begins a fast meant to be acceptable to God, they cannot be a hypocrite. That means that if they identify themselves as children of God, they must observe and follow the commandments of Him. A hypocrite announces their fast and informs everyone of their progress throughout it. They seek attention and sympathy; they want people to know that they are resisting something so that they will receive praise from their peers. Unfortunately for them, God has decided that those who seek and receive the praise of men will not receive the praise of God. In their heart, they wanted the attention of humans not God and so they received their reward.

But thou, when thou fastest, anoint thine head, and wash thy face; that thou appear not unto men to fast, but unto thy Father which is in secret: ...

Instead, Jesus taught us to fast privately. He instructed children of God to fast so privately that they even put effort into keeping it private. By keeping a fast private, one announces to God that their fast is for Him exclusively. They do not want or need or value the attention of people, their striving is done because they want, need and value the attention of God. They have chosen to resist something in order to prove their strength of faith, their dependence on God, and their willingness to remove anything from their lives but God.

... and thy Father, which seeth in secret, shall reward thee openly.

Ironically, a private fast results in a public reward. Much better than the attention or praise of people, divine rewards from God are permanent, extraordinary, meaningful, purposeful, heartfelt.

• "IS IT A FAST THAT I HAVE CHOSEN?"

The truth is that God does not chose for His children to deprive themselves of food or water. If such a fast helps a person with their faith or mindset, well and good, Jesus explained how to undertake such a fast in a godly manner. But God always teaches His children to look outward, beyond ourselves. If one is going to fast something, God prefers that it be their personal pursuits. 

“Is this not the fast that I have chosen:

To loose the bonds of wickedness,

To undo the heavy burdens,

To let the oppressed go free,

And that you break every yoke?

Is it not to share your bread with the hungry,

And that you bring to your house the poor who are cast out;

When you see the naked, that you cover him,

And not hide yourself from your own flesh?

Isaiah 58:6-7

As it turns out... God requires quite a bit of effort from His children in the process of their fast.  He requires vigilant observation, active compassion, and unselfish dedication. God wants His children to be trained in the art of recognizing injustice and dismantling its grip on His children. He wants His children to assist people who are overburdened in life, pushed beyond their limits, inadequately equipped to handle their situation. He wants His children to confront oppressors and subsequently free their captives. God wants His children to break the bond between not just a person and their oppressor but a person and their addiction or depression. 

God wants His children to feed the people who are hungry. There are many hungers: hunger for food, hunger for the word of God, hunger for friendship, hunger for compassion, hunger for opportunity, knowledge, peace, hunger for a reason to have hope. As a child of God, equipped with the Word of God, one is prepared to fill each of these types of hunger. 

God wants His children to befriend the lonely, the ostracized, the meek. Like Jesus did, He wants His children to seek out not the people they can benefit from, but the people they can be a benefit to. Not as martyrs or angels or saints but as servants of the Lord, sharing the blessings they have that came from Him. God wants His children to bring their house to the uncovered. Include people, invite people, host people in your heart in your prayers, plans and intentions.

If one notices someone who is naked, bared to vulnerability and loneliness and the cruelty of the world, cover them. Arm them with the strength and love of God, first through acknowledgement, then through assistance, friendship and finally faith. God instructs humanity not to hide themselves from their own flesh, to be present and involved in lives and well-being of the people around.

“If you take away the yoke from your midst,

The pointing of the finger, and speaking wickedness,

If you extend your soul to the hungry

And satisfy the afflicted soul,

Then your light shall dawn in the darkness,

And your darkness shall be as the noonday.

Isaiah 58:9b;10

At the very least, do not contribute to the problem. Do not observe but neglect. Fast the habit of mocking, gossip and slander and cruelty. Do not extend a finger to laugh at someone, extend the soul to satisfy an afflicted one. When one does so, their fast is then appreciated by God.

• A WATERED GARDEN

Quite the opposite of "I never knew you" (Matthew 7:23), when God dismissed the culprit of the false fast, God warmly acknowledges the participant of the true fast.

Then your light shall break forth like the morning,

Your healing shall spring forth speedily,

And your righteousness shall go before you;

The glory of the Lord shall be your rear guard.

Then you shall call, and the Lord will answer;

You shall cry, and He will say, ‘Here I am.’

Isaiah 58:8;9a

God makes Himself present and available to His children who call on Him from a place of righteousness. When they call on Him, He will answer. God is receptive to the prayers of the righteous and He is diligent to fulfill them: His divine response is an open reward. Access to the storehouses of God's blessings is the open reward of the private, philanthropic fast. The fast, undertaken in privacy, yields blessings so enormous and great that they're visible to everyone around. 

God's attention and compassion and presence and assistance and comfort and guidance and friendship and love and strength in every moment and detail of life is the reward of the righteous. The implementation of God's will, which always works all things together for the good, is the reward of the life of the righteous. 

The Lord will guide you continually,

And satisfy your soul in drought,

And strengthen your bones;

You shall be like a watered garden,

And like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail.

Those from among you

Shall build the old waste places;

You shall raise up the foundations of many generations;

And you shall be called the Repairer of the Breach,

The Restorer of Streets to Dwell In."

Isaiah 58:11-12

God never forgets that while His child is out there helping others, they are in need of help themselves. Therefore He becomes their help. When conditions and situations cause them to become as weary and desolate as a desert, He waters them. He tends to them so comprehensively that they are liked a watered garden: blooming, thriving, producing. He is the reinforcement of strength on their bones; the motivation to rise and seek and assist. He restores His child, pours a firm foundation, and builds a safe and strong place for them to dwell.

• SUPERFICIAL FAITH

 “If you turn away your foot from the Sabbath,

From doing your pleasure on My holy day,

And call the Sabbath a delight,

The holy day of the Lord honorable,

And shall honor Him, not doing your own ways,

Nor finding your own pleasure,

Nor speaking your own words,

Then you shall delight yourself in the Lord;

And I will cause you to ride on the high hills of the earth,

And feed you with the heritage of Jacob your father.

The mouth of the Lord has spoken.

Isaiah 58:13-14 

God wants His children to discard that superficial faith. He does not want them to go through the motions of traditions men have established. Public fasting and abstinence of foods do not make the impact the world desperately needs. Selfish motivations and practices are not acknowledged as evidence of faith. 

It is not one's own way, own pleasure, or own words which capture the attention and appreciation of God. God is honored when behavior is consistent and aligned with His will. And when one's behavior is consistently aligned with God's word and will, one is acknowledged and blessed extraordinarily by Him.

PRAY HOPE WAIT TRUST

So it was, year by year, when she went up to the house of the Lord, that [it] provoked her; therefore she wept and did not eat. 

1 Samuel 1:7

Have you every wanted something so much that not having it caused soul-deep distress? Have you wanted it so badly that you felt provoked by the people who did have it? In this sermon, we are talking about those as-yet-unanswered prayers and the (sometimes long and arduous) process of blessing. We have an extraordinary God who makes it easy for us to love Him, but that doesn't mean it's easy to wait for Him.

We open with Hannah, who exemplifies in scripture the level of desperation we experience in life. Hannah was hollowed and wearied by not having what her body, mind and soul, desperately hoped to have. Hannah had a good life, an almost full life, but there was still a prayer in her heart that had not yet been fulfilled. She cried to the point of anguish; her prayed slurred and bitter to bystanders, to her own self, but not to God. He understood clearly not just her speech but her heart.

It's sometimes funny and easy to be glib about human melodrama, but our emotions can truly cause hurt in our heart: so quickly do we determine that "not yet" actually means "no," "never" or "not at all". But actually God has a history of answering prayers in the affirmative. He also has a history of what appear to be rather delayed affirmatives... but if we look closely at scripture, God never delayed anything at all. God chooses a perfect moment, time and season to deliver blessings and sticks with it. So how to fill and even thrive in the space between asked and answered? We pray, hope, wait and trust. Simple in concept? Fairly. Simple in execution? Not exactly. Effective? Yes. 

• PRAY 

The basis of our life and relationship with God is communication. It is in fluid conversation with Him that we learn about each other's heart. Steadily as we grow with God our character develops, and as our character develops we begin to develop the cornerstone hopes for our lives. The cornerstone hopes for our lives are dreams that solidify as the pursuit and purpose of our life.

We were encouraged to pray without ceasing, 1 Thessalonians 5:17 for there is so much development that occurs while we do. The more time we spend with God, the more inspired is He to deliver blessings intricately-specific to us as individuals. God is a skilled creator in the art of blessing; constant communication with Him allows Him to know what you need better than you do, and He will put His whole heart into creating it, His full strength into delivering it, Romans 8:28. It is good to have clout with God in the business of blessing, for when the boss of blessings intercedes for you, you're sure to get some.

Yet prayer is also a space for the weariness and even hollowness that crops up as we live, praying for blessings to manifest. There are many outlets for our outpourings of distress but only productive one is God Himself. God honestly does renew and rejuvenate the broken spirits that are placed in His hands. We must be able to talk through our emotions with Him. He helps us to understand our emotions and even cope with their negative effects on our lives. He assists us in lightening and shouldering burdens in healthy and productive ways. He teaches us to dismantle the grip fear and desire can have on us, causing us to give in to temptations that only harm and derail us. Indeed prayer is a space for the weak days, when we need God to be strength for us, 2 Corinthians 12:9:10.

Prayer is also a place to claim God's promises, to remember what He has spoken to us; Isaiah 43:26. Prayer is a space to call upon God as He has encouraged us to do. So often God's children forget that option, Isaiah 43:22. God has made Himself accessible to us in the hope that we do access everything He has to offer: strength, patience, endurance, and anything we lack but need is available in His storehouses: 

And try Me now in this,”Says the Lord of hosts,

“If I will not open for you the windows of heaven

And pour out for you such blessing

That there will not be room enough to receive it.

Malachi 3:10

Ultimately we need to remember Jesus' promise on God's behalf: knock and the door will be answered; ask and it shall be given, Matthew 7:7. Did God say "ask so I can deny"? Absolutely not, so why do we live wearied as though that is what He has said? Actually there is reason to be joyful even before blessing because God as already assured us of its arrival. We must combat the pricks of desperation-born-of-hopelessness we feel with bursts of hopeful light that God has provided. We must develop skill in spiritual combat, able to deflect negative emotions that will crop up with the strength we have derived from prayer.

• HOPE 

Then Jesus called a little child to Him, set him in the midst of them,  and said, “Assuredly, I say to you, unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore whoever humbles himself as this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. 

Matthew 18:2-4 

Lack in life can cause us to be jaded in spirit. Therefore Jesus taught us to retain our youthful spirit, the one that readily hopes and is easily inspired. Adulthood can cause us to spiral into daytime nightmares where instead of dreaming as we once did, we only contemplate the depths and darkness. It pleases God when His child is able to retain the vulnerability of hope, the daring to dream. He wants us to think in color, to contemplate what could be coming rather than dwell on what might never arrive.

When we retain or reclaim our youthful spirit, we readily choose love and mercy and humility instead of their opposites, which circumstances in the world can cause. Darkness cannot get a grip on a happy spirit. There is hope able to be fulfilled in every day, not just in the future; God does not want us to pass by those ripe fruits because our spirit was too downcast to notice them. 

The apostle Paul understood the power of hope when we stated, in Romans 15:13, May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. Are we right then, to wallow in hopelessness? Certainly not! We are children of the God of hope. Even though it is a truth, we must train ourselves to believe it. The human spirit is not always inclined to hope. Often feelings of lack, loneliness, depression, dejection, and other miseries are merely our forgetfulness to be hopeful. We neglect to realize that we are walking in the wrong direction, looking down not up.

God will always fill our hopeful expectations... so make that hope big. Do not allow life to lesson your faith, shrink your hope, shrivel your expectation. Once again, God wants us to become spiritual combatants against these invisible invaders.

• WAIT

Arguably the most difficult in the process of blessing is the reality of waiting. 

We have to remember that God is a creator skilled in the art of blessing, and that the process of creation is a quiet one. Focused. Determined. Sequestered. God is quietly planning, sketching, measuring, sculpting, and perfecting your blessing. The silence may seem like neglect or absence but it is actually the sound of hard work! We cannot expect to hear or see or feel the final product when it is in the development stage.

But waiting is difficult further still because we have homework during it. 1 Peter 5:10 states:

And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast.

Before big blessing can come into our lives, God has to ensure we have the space and skill for it. While He plans and creates the already-assured blessing, He teaches us how to care for that blessing. But the lessons are never so on the nose obvious. Seemingly purposeless and even trying circumstances are lessons and courses in patience and mercy and generosity. God is also working on our character as though it is a masterpiece. He wants us to be well rounded, complex individuals. He wants us to be able to execute justice, discern, love, submit, lead, support, feed. 

Even though the process of character growth and spiritual discipline is not always enjoyable, it is for the purpose of ensuring that once we receive our blessing, we are able to keep it. And keep it healthy. And since it's natural that life is always going to challenge us, God wants us to be balanced. To, like Paul, be able to find contentment in every situation, Philippians 4:11. He needs us to be able to see the miracle and value and opportunity in every moment so that we waste none of them! So that we claim every blessing on the path of our lives. Because even though we may be solely focused on one specific blessing, there are quite a lot of them God wants us to claim. But we cannot do that if we are distracted by hopelessness and impatience. Impatience will cause us to reject the process of blessing and trade it for something immediate, cheap and temporary. 

We have very complex and convincing brains. We cannot allow them to convince us that we are starving. We cannot allow ourselves to develop an inner mantra of desperation. We must never believe that we have no more left to give, no strength left to wait, no inspiration left to hope. We are not starved for God will never allow a righteous soul to famish, Proverbs 10:3. The thought that you have nothing left is a lie you have allowed yourself to be convinced of not a reality. We must not give lies power; for with power lies will control our lives and obscure the hope and blessing and active presence of God that is there.

• TRUST

Waiting was "arguably" the most difficult stage in the process of blessing because it can also be argued that trust is. But if we truly do pray without ceasing, trust in God will develop naturally. Not only will it develop naturally, evidence of God's faithfulness will manifest in the  "little things" as proof of its overall truth.

In 2 Kings 6:17 the prophet Elisha trusted God emphatically... the man accompanying him did not. All the servant could see was that they were confronted by an enemy army. But because Elisha had developed trust in God, he saw the full picture: an angel army at his back. We are well covered by God and His host and their methods of protection are more advanced that our enemies skill at destruction. 

Similarly Jesus in Matthew 26:53 assured the people around him that nothing could happen to him that was not sanctioned by God: "Or do you think that I cannot now pray to My Father, and He will provide Me with more than twelve legions of angels?" When, and only when, we submit our whole selves and whole lives to God's authority, we can rely on every circumstance working out in our favor and in accordance with His will. Even loses will eventuate as gains. But trust is required! God awaits us to proclaim Him as the authority in our lives. He will not do anything in our lives we have not trusted Him with. He respects our boundaries... so when it comes to God, ensure that you don't have any.

Are you not aware that you can pray for the very same? Our enemies are not always literal soldiers or weapons. Sometimes our enemies are depression, hopelessness, failure, regret, shame, listlessness, wandering. Sometimes our enemies are people but the way to combat them is not war or weapon or word. God can train us and provide trained assistance when it comes to adeptly outmaneuvering those people and circumstances. When we feel confronted or even surrounded by fear, depression or hopelessness we must remember that angel army at our backs ensuring that despite how we feel, we will defeat it.

Trust God's love for you; the whole Bible is a love letter written to you and for you to thrive. God loves to bless you, Luke 12:32. He's asked the whole world to, if nothing else, love you, Matthew 22:39. If you can trust that God loves you, you can trust that He will bless you as though He does. In perfect time and measure. Pursue His love and let Him do the hard work of adding blessing into your life, Matthew 6:33; you do not have to work and worry to manifest things God has in control and under development. 

Finally, Jesus asks us to use our common sense:

Or what man is there among you who, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent? If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!

Matthew 7:9 

God blesses His children. He promises good things and gives good things. He listens to what we pray for and He answers in kind. We do not always receive blessings in the manner or timing that we desire but their manner and timing is always good. When we pray, hope, wait and trust in God, we come to understand and even enjoy the time it takes to get to that understanding. 

Therefore I will look to the Lord;

I will wait for the God of my salvation;

My God will hear me.

Micah 7:7