“As for me, I will always have hope; I will praise you more and more.” —Psalm 71:14 NIV
A hope perspective takes practice. It is a lifelong habit that can be cultivated through a continual process of recognizing that life goes on, joy returns, and even dark times can deepen your understanding and strengthen your faith.
The word that gets me in this scripture is always. It reflects the biblical meaning of hope—a confident expectation of God’s goodness, no matter what it looks like right now. During the night hours, God downloads His wisdom and goodness into your spirit, giving you a framework through which to view the events of the day.
As you begin to look for solutions, you reject the mental attack of the possibility of doom and gloom. Instead, you choose to focus on growth, progress, and light. You are no longer afraid of the dark that surrounds you, because you are preparing to break through the barriers and lies that have held you back.
Living with this level of hope takes consistency and a determination to continue to say, “On the positive side…” In the end, you truly only have one consistent choice every day—your perspective.
Important Questions to Answer for the HOPE Infusion
Do you feel like hope is elusive and never to be regained?
What are ways that you can hope continually, even in the darkest places?
What will your attitude be?
What is God’s perspective in the midst of this calamity?
What great lessons are coming from this challenge?
What is the unprecedented opportunity that was absent before this happened?
Prayer
Lord, I am so grateful for the challenges I experienced in 2018, because they were preparing me for the new ones that are greater than the last. You trust me to rise to the occasion, and I know I will! I choose Your perspective above my own. In the darkest places of the recent past, You have been the steady light even when it was a tiny flame that felt like it could be blown out. Still, it never was because You were holding me. I thank You for the unprecedented opportunities that are opening up as a result of the path I have followed in pursuing Your presence. You have proven this verse true to me because You have helped me regardless of the situation. This year, I will not stop praising You and believing that You will magnify Your name to show Your glory. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
HOPE Actions
Reframe your negative experiences as blessings.
Reach out to those you need to forgive for your own sake.
Speak positive words into hopeless situations in your circle of family and acquaintances.
Believe for your hope breakthrough!
Flip on the HOPE switch.