Hope Floats

By Kathy Smith
“Lay hold of your hope, it keeps you afloat, in the midst of life’s storms.”

The poorest person on the face of the earth is the one who has no hope. The person who has no hope, also has no dream. What is hope? Is it not the earnest expectation of our dreams and desires?

The Message Bible says, “ I know what I'm doing. I have it all planned out — plans to take care of you, not abandon you, plans to give you the future you hope for. When you call on me, when you come and pray to me, I'll listen. When you come looking for me, you'll find me. Yes, when you get serious about finding me and want it more than anything else,” Jeremiah 29:11-13.

Even before God knit you together in your mother’s womb, He knew you. Embedded in the fibers of your being is the hope of God for you in the form of dreams and desires. It is your spiritual DNA. He knows the plans He has for you; He created you for a purpose. You are no accident. God does not have accidents, and He makes no mistakes. You are special, you are extraordinary, and you are unique. The dreams and desires stirring in your spirit are the hope of God for your future.

We all have days, and sometimes even months, when it seems like nothing is going right, when it seems that everything and anything that could go wrong has gone wrong. Nothing you put your hand to turns out right. Where do you turn?

Have you ever tried to mix oil and water? They simply don’t mix. So it is with hope and adversity... they don’t mix; oil will always float to the top. And so it is with hope, in the midst of the storms and in the midst of the trials, hope always floats. It’s like a life preserver that keeps you from sinking. Just remember to lay hold of your hope and hang on.

Hebrews 6:18-19 says, " That by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us: This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and stedfast..."

What is hope? It is our built-in homing beacon which motivates and propels us toward our expected end, the purpose that God Himself formed and created us to fulfill. If we will pursue our hopes and dreams, we will discover the purpose of God for our life.

Dreams and desires give birth to hope, but it is faith that gives hope substance. Hebrews 11:1 tell us, "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen."

So if it is faith that gives our hopes and dreams substance, then it is love that acts as a catalyst to our faith to make it manifest. Our hopes and dreams are given substance by faith, and activated by love. If faith were the flour in bread dough, then love is the yeast that makes it rise.

"For in Jesus Christ neither circumcision availeth anything, nor uncircumcision; but faith which worketh by love," Galatians 5:6.

If I were to ask you what is a cake made of, you might say flour, sugar, and eggs. Just as cake is not a cake until you put all the ingredients together and allow it to bake...
So a dream is
NOT a reality
Until it is conceived in hope,
Given substance by faith,
And birthed by love.