I Wish I May, I Wish I Might

So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. (2 Corinthians 4:18)

I grew up in the country, where I could stare into the sprawling, dark sky scattered with bright stars. I’d notice small differences in size and intensity. I’d pick a favorite, stare at it, and recite “Star light, Star bright, First star I see tonight…,” completing the familiar rhyme with one of my little girl wishes, the hopes of my heart.

God says we can hope for so much more – the unseen intangibles. The qualities, characteristics, and passions of God can become our deepest hopes. Hope lies under the water, beyond our sight, but not beyond our reach.

We often start with where we are, decide what we most long for, and share it with God, assuming our longing will become His longing. Anytime we start with ourselves and project our own experiences onto God, assuming a connection, we distort reality. Instead, we must start with God and ask what His longings and hopes for us are. In the most simplistic terms, our hopes should be(come) whatever His hopes for us are.

Hope is far from simplistic. We can’t fully know His exact plan, but we can seek to know Him.

Seeking to know God is the essence of hope. When we want to know more of God than about God, when we look for Him in everything, when we align our perspectives with His, we are living hope. We no longer need wishes, because when the hopes of our hearts match the heart of God, hope becomes the center of God’s will.

Is your hope consistent with God’s will?