Be strong and take heart, all you who hope in the Lord. (Ps. 31:24)


BEFORE WE WERE MARRIED, my wife Esther and I spent five months living on different continents. Every week we had only one hour-long phone conversation. We waited all week for those sixty minutes. I would shut the door and clear my schedule. I would make sure my phone had a full battery. That call was too important to miss. During that time apart, our love for one another grew. I knew that when she finally moved closer to me at the end of the five months, I was going to propose to her. It was a hard secret to keep because of my excitement. I had to learn patience.

Though I didn’t have Esther with me, I did have the hope of her arrival. That fueled me every day. Once we were married, I no longer had that hope. We can’t hope for what we already have. We hope for something yet to come. Hope requires that we have an emotional fortitude. We must wait with courage. We must not lose heart in the meantime.

When we put our hope in God, we are waiting for Him to show up and help us. He may not have arrived yet, but He is coming. If you are waiting, be strong; hold on. Let hope be the placeholder for the thing yet to come.

Memorize Psalm 31:24 and recite it when you feel like giving up.

Jarod Osborne is the lead pastor of Warsaw Wesleyan Church. He is also the author of Jaded Faith (WPH).