I had one of those hard-to-shake dreams last night.
I nearly always wear a simple silver ring with the word "hope" etched into its surface. It's a tangible reminder for me to stay aware of beauty and God's goodness, to not give into despair or cynicism in the hard moments.
In my dream (due to complicated circumstances which included swimming in darkness through cold ocean waves to safety) this ring was changed by the water. The word "hope" was gone and in its place were the words of Isaiah 61:8, like they had been beneath the surface of "hope" all along. The scripture reference was bright in my mind when I woke up. I read Isaiah 61 and this is what brings me to this rather random post ~ re-reading it felt like a gift I wanted to share.
I don't fully know why the Spirit led me to this, but reading these words felt like a deep breath I needed to take. Maybe I've made my idea of hope too small lately. I've been in a season of just taking things one day at a time (which sometimes is what we have to do), but maybe I needed a reminder of how my hope is infused with expectation and my one-day-at-a-time chapter is part of a story greater than I can even fully comprehend.
This is what we have been given ~ bold hope and high expectations simply because of who He is. His love is too big and He is too good to fail us. His faithfulness is our confidence and courage.
And so I feel a little voice saying "Take heart". Remember, all over again, the promises of God for right now, in this moment, and all that is still to come.
Thank you for sharing that! I had a similar dream, about a year and a half ago, but mine had to do with fear.
When I was safely back on shore, looking out to where I'd been vainly swimming back and forth in a dense fog, Holy Spirit let me know that I needn't have feared, for God had me along.