A Love For The Word: Hope and Feelings

My hope.

It determines my actions, the steps I take, the words I speak, who I love, how I love. These are important things, powerful things that seem to determine so much of my life's usefulness in bringing glory to God.

Where does my hope rest?

This is quite easy to see. All one would have to do is watch my life and see what has the most effect in determining my actions each day. And I think you would see quite quickly that there are two things in conflict with each other. There is a dramatic and painful battle taking place in my heart that sometimes feels like it is wrenching it apart. It is God's Word and my feelings. You see, I often face a dilemma. It happens everyday. A situation arises where God's Word promises me one thing and my feelings tell me another. I may go to pray and find myself not feeling God's closeness. Yesterday I may have prayed for an hour all the while feeling quite passionately but now I feel nothing. Look closely in that moment to see where my hope rests. Will my hope remain unchanged or will it wilt with the vanishing of my feelings? You see, my hope often rests with my feelings and so it rises and falls with them. My feelings are clouds that come and go and when my hope is tied to them, it does the same. But look when my hope is tied to the Word of God and His promises. For when has His Word ever changed? It only takes you deeper and deeper and proves itself more faithful to your heart the more that you read it! And so the clouds will continue to shift and change from storms to sunshine back to more storms and will where my hope continue to rest? I pray that it will rest more and more securely to the Word of God, His promises and His love displayed therein. Oh, that I may pray an hour even in the midst of opposing feelings. May my song of love and praise to the One who is worthy cry out in the midst of rain and hail even as it beats against my skin. Lord, grow in me a love for your Word and may my hope be tied to Jesus Christ and His promises.

"Let the Word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all widsom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him."
Colossians 3:16-17