Prayer of Hope in My Disappointments

Dreams, Disappointment, Hope, and Why This Blog Is Called “Average Us”

Well over a decade ago, a good friend challenged me with this question:

What do you dream about?

I remember feeling creases deepen on my brow as I answered emphatically, and somewhat bitterly,

I don’t dream. I’ve had enough disappointment already.

This post is about why I stopped dreaming, how I eventually discovered that hope in God is better than my dreams, and why this blog is called Average Us.

❯ UNREALISTIC EXPECTATIONS

Follow your passion.

Pursue excellence.

Chase your dreams.

Dream big.

Believe in yourself.

Be awesome!

Sound familiar?

I’ve heard messages these most of my life. Advertisements. Motivational Gurus. Preachers. Bloggers. All urging me to chase something which I’m not—but could be—because the potential, they say, lies within me:

The potential to be great.

And my over-stuffed ego believed it. Too much.

those who built the tower of Babel, I dreamed of making a name for myself, of leaving my mark on the world, at least, in the church world.

❯ UNEXPECTED REALITIES

And so, I dreamed the dream of awesome…

but quickly found I wasn’t.

Instead, I found that I was mistake prone (e.g. I made bad decisions), that mistakes have consequences, and that consequences can last for years.

I found that life is hard. Things don’t go your way. You have to pay your dues, and start at the bottom (sometimes more than once).

I found that no one makes it alone, and that I was a poor bridge builder.

I found that I really wasn’t all that. I wasn’t as smart, or gifted, or talented, or winsome, or influential, or confident, or wise, or tenacious, or inspiring, or cool-under-pressure, or stable, or energetic, or great…

as I thought I was.

And my biggest fear?—was that soon my son would be old enough to realize his dad was a loser.

What do you dream about? my friend asked.

Dream? Ha! I dreamed about not feeling bitter.

❯ CHASING AWESOME

I’m not alone am I? Some of you can identify with my disappointment with life.

You and I live in a society of dreamers. That’s pretty much the promise of America: You can achieve your dream. American books and blogs and music and magazines stick awesome in your face and tell you how you can be that, too.

In school, kids are told they can be anything they want to be. In church, they hear how God will do amazing things with their lives. In college, the graduation speaker tells them to dream big and make a difference in the world.

But, in spite of what we’re told, in spite of whatever intellect, charm, or creativity we may possess, and even if you don’t fail I did, most of us have to settle for much less than our dreams promised.

❯ EMBRACING AVERAGE

So, what are we supposed to do? Just be that disappointed 40-year-old me who wouldn’t dream? Are we just supposed to give up on our dreams?

We could. For a long time, I did.

But maybe, my dreams were just… wrong?

Since I was 16 I had professed to be a Christian, but my dreams were all about me being a messiah. While saying I belonged to God, I, Adam and Eve, dreamed of being a god. My dreams were all about who I could be and what I could do. I forgot that I was just a bit-actor on God’s stage.

Instead of dreaming about how I could be awesome, I needed to dream about the One who is. Instead of dreaming of what I could do (or even of what God might do through me), I needed to dream about what God has done, of what He is doing, of what He promises to do.

I needed to embrace my own averageness, placing my dreams and hopes in the truth that God alone is great and awesome.

In fact, I needed to learn that God is great, even when my life isn’t.

❯ AVERAGE AMBITIONS

I dreamed the dream of awesome, and found I wasn’t. I’m not. I won’t be. And most importantly, I’m not supposed to be.

And if that’s the case, then embracing my averageness and God’s greatness will have to look something this in my life. You could call these my new ambitions, my new dreams:

1. Significance: I must look for significance in the mere fact that by God’s grace alone I belong to Him through His Son, Jesus Christ, and not in anything I can be, or achieve.

2. Contentment: I must learn to be content in every situation He ordains for me, whether joy or sorrow, because I know God is great, and I belong to Him. My achievements, talents, personal appearance, public image, self image, skills, knowledge, influence, popularity, and wealth must have no connection to my contentment in Him.

3. Usefulness: My desire must be to be found found useful to Him in any way He chooses, and to be helpful, reliable, and compassionate to those He brings into my life, whether I receive their recognition or not.

4. Growth: I must become ever more attentive to God’s work in the world, and God’s message to the world, so that I may become more useful to Him, and more helpful to others.

❯ MY AVERAGE LIFE

The thing that most helped me to dream these new dreams was a valuable lesson I learned at a men’s retreat:

Whatever problem you face, find a verse in the Bible that addresses it. Memorize that verse. Turn it into a prayer. Write it down. And pray it every single day.

My problem was disappointment over how my life had turned out, but Ecclesiastes 2:24-25 teaches that we can find enjoyment in God’s simple provisions of life: food, drink and work.

So, for three years I prayed a prayer which I drew from this passage:

Father, please match my gifts, skills, interests, and education with my source of income, and let me be useful to you whatever I do.

God heard. God answered. (That’s another story).

But it was the praying that got to me.

Prayer was what taught me, slowly, bit-by-bit, to hope in God, not myself; to be content to be average, not dream of greatness.

That’s how I learned to trust

God is great, even when life isn’t.

Источник: //averageus.com/2014/07/14/dreams-disappointment-hope-why-called-average-us/

13 Bible Verses to Overcome Disappointment

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I am not a born optimist, but then, I don’t think anyone really is.

Despite appearances, I do not naturally see the good in people or in situations. My heart hides snarky cynicism and crushing depression, fragile insecurity and paralyzing anxiety. I have to work (harder than you think) at being pleasant and cheerful and uplifting.

I fail.

It is 12:52 am.

I am alone in a dark, quiet house. Isn’t this every mothers’ dream? Peace and quiet and time for reflection?

The rest of my family is enjoying a planned weekend away. I, too, had weekend plans, cancelled against my wishes at the last minute.

My heart is so heavy, burdened with the loss of encouragement and refreshment and friendship the weekend promised.

My limbs should be splayed out in the middle of my empty bed, and I should be deep in sleep.

About ten minutes ago, words I read in a Skype chat almost three weeks ago jolted me awake. My eyes flung open, and I jumped bed.

You should write about dealing with disappointment, she typed.

I can’t, I argued. There are too many disappointments in my life right now (little did I know what was on the horizon!). It’s just too close to home.

I don’t remember what she said next, whether it was something  That’s why you should write about it, or Do it when you’re ready, or maybe nothing at all. I hadn’t thought about the conversation another second until it woke me up in the middle of the night.

Disappointment (noun): the feeling of sadness or displeasure caused by the defeat of one’s hopes or expectations

The disappointments in my life have been many.

Our disappointments are different, yours and mine, but we both have them. Yours are as real and crushing and painful to you as mine are to me, and they linger, needling our hearts, despite our best intentions to leave them behind.

13 Bible Verses & 6 Steps to Overcome Disappointment

1. Believe in God’s plan. Our God is a miracle worker. He can part waters, move boulders, heal the dead (not just the sick, remember, the dead), save, destroy, bless, and curse. He can do anything, everything, things beyond our comprehension.

   “My thoughts are nothing your thoughts,” says the Lord. “And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine. For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so my ways are higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts.

   ” –Isaiah 55:8-9

   When I say you have to believe, I mean you have to believe that God has got this thing in His hands. He is looking out for you. He is working out a plan that is bigger than you, and you are going to be better for it in the end.

   “For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.” -Jeremiah 29:11

   Sometimes, it takes a painful disappointment to teach us a skill or strengthen our faith or to put us in the right place at the right time. We don’t know His ways or His thoughts. We just have to believe in His promise.
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2. Grieve. Things have not gone the way you wanted. Your hopes and expectations have been defeated. You need to spend some quiet time being sad, mourning the way you thought things would be.

   The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit. -Psalm 34:18

   Cry. Exercise. Read. Do whatever it is that releases the sadness, the disappointment, the defeat.
   And then, eventually, you have to stop grieving and move on.

   Weeping may last through the night, but joy comes with the morning. -Psalm 30:5

   Disappointment is not meant to define you, my friend. It is not meant to hold you hostage or weigh you down into the mire of depression. Don’t give it that power.
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3. Pray. You had to know this was coming, right? Spend some time talking to your Heavenly Father. Tell Him your heartache. Tell Him about the plans you had and ask Him to show you why He’s taken them away. I promise you that He has good in this for you, and it’s okay to ask Him what that good is.

   And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them. Romans 8:28

   Talk to Him you’d talk to your best friend. Your prayer doesn’t have to be pretty or sound one at your church. It just has to be honest and come from your heart.

   Give your burdens to the Lord, and he will take care of you. He will not permit the godly to slip and fall. -Psalm 55:22

   You, my friend, are the godly. You are chasing after God, trying to do the right thing, seeking a better understanding of Him. Aren’t you? He’s talking about you.

   Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus. -Philippians 4:6-7

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4. Listen and wait. Big things happen when we pray. Sometimes, they are blessings beyond our expectations.

   But when you pray, go away by yourself, shut the door behind you, and pray to your Father in private. Then your Father, who sees everything, will reward you. -Matthew 6:6

   Sometimes they happen right away, but usually they happen later when we least expect them. Keep waiting. You’ll know when your prayer has been answered.

   Wait patiently for the Lord. Be brave and courageous. Yes, wait patiently for the Lord. -Psalms 27:14

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5. Search for the good. This is a miserable time to try to be thankful. I don’t know about you, but all I want to do is wallow in self pity of my dreams deferred (or dreams lost). This is the time when it’s hardest – and most important – to find the good, grab onto it with both hands, and celebrate it. You need to.

   This is the day the Lord has made. We will rejoice and be glad in it. -Psalm 118:24

   In beginning this post in the middle of the night, I came to understand that it wouldn’t have happened if my plans had worked out. I wouldn’t have been sleeping fitfully.

   I wouldn’t have jumped bed to write these words. It was God’s plan for me to write these words. (It has been an incredibly soothing and cathartic process).

   It is also His plan for you to be reading them right now. I am thankful that He chose me.
   

   Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Ephesians 5:19b-20

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6. Believe in yourself. You too are part of God’s great plan. He is preparing you to do His work right now, even in this time of disappointment. No matter what burden comes, know that He will help you stand underneath it, carry it up the hill, and triumph over it in the end.*

   Have you never heard? Have you never understood? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of all the earth. He never grows weak or weary. No one can measure the depths of his understanding. He gives power to the weak and strength to the powerless.

   Even youths will become weak and tired, and young men will fall in exhaustion. But those who trust in the Lord will find new strength. They will soar high on wings eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint.

    -Isaiah 40:28-31

   God believes in you. You may not feel equipped to handle this on your own, but He’ll give you what you need to get through it.

   For I can do all things through Christ, who gives me strength. -Philippians 4:13

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*The triumph doesn’t always happen when we think it should. Sometimes, we only triumph over our struggles as we leave this broken world. A conversation I had with my pastor illustrates this point:

“Tara, God will heal her.”

“I just don’t know that He will. She is so sick. She hardly gets bed.”

“He is going to heal her. He might heal her body now, or He might heal her soul in heaven, but you can trust Him to heal her.”

Wow. The simplicity and immensity of that statement left me with many tears but complete peace. We can trust Him to defeat our disappointment, no matter what it is.

Download these Bible verses on overcoming disappointment in a convenient black and white printable below. You can work on memorizing and meditating on them, one at a time

If you need help with a system for memorizing verses, check out this post on our family’s memorization habit.

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© 2013 – 2019, Tara Ziegmont. All rights reserved.

Источник: //feelslikehomeblog.com/2013/04/13-bible-verses-to-overcome-disappointment/

Powerful Prayers for Hope, Strength and Miracles [Quotes & Verses]

God never leaves us, never abandons us and never gives up hope in us. When you pray a prayer for hope, you are asking God to restore your hope.

If you would your prayer to be heard in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, one of the holiest points on earth, we can help you. Send us your personal prayer for hope and we will take it to the church, where the religious order there will pray over it and for you.

Then we send photos of your prayer and candle back to you. Experience the power of prayer request for yourself.

Hope is what gives us a reason to continue in life and if you believe in God, you are never without it.

Hope is something that He can provide, ensuring that you are always strong and with a reason to follow Him.

However, there will be times when you feel low and may not understand what the reason is behind the difficult times you face. When the obstacles are all around, prayers for hope can help you move forward.

Here on this page, you’ll find prayers for hope that will help you as you go through life. Whether you are dealing with difficulties or trying to build your faith in the Lord, there will be tribulations and trials. Bask in the hope that the Lord provides and you will make it through.

But blessed are those who trust in the Lord and have made the Lord their hope and confidence.
Lamentations 3:24 

PRAYERS FOR HOPE AND STRENGTH

Our Heavenly Father, we are gathered here today to pray for our brother/sister ________. He/she is facing a difficult situation right now, Lord, as you know and we ask that you bless him/her with your peace and hope. Give him/her strength to face the adversaries and to overcome the obstacles in his/her way. But above all, Lord, give him/her hope for the future. Amen.

INSPIRATIONAL PRAYERS FOR HOPE

Dear Lord, I am your humble servant and I kneel before You today, helpless and weak. I need Your hope for love, kindness and for a better life, Lord.

I ask that You fill me from head to toe with Your everlasting light. Bathe me in Your glory, Lord and show me that everything is according to Your plan.

Help me walk in Your glorious light and show me the path so that I may follow You in faith. Amen.

PRAYERS FOR HOPE AND FORGIVENESS

Lord, thank you for the gift of forgiveness that You have given me. Thank You for Your mercy that you showed me and for sending your Son to die for me. Help me release my anger and frustration with _____.

Allow me to be a vessel of Your divine forgiveness and allow me to forgive him/her. Just as I have been forgiven for my sins, so must I extend forgiveness. I choose to forgive ___ and set him/her free.

In Your Name, Amen.

PRAYERS FOR HOPE, STRENGTH, AND FAITH

Dear Heavenly Father, as I come before you with my heart heavy, I ask for Your help. I lack hope, Lord and pray that You grant me Your eternal hope. Without You, I am nothing, Lord. Without You, I cannot face these obstacles alone.

I am at the end of my rope and I need You to carry me, to lift me in your arms and restore my faith and hope, Lord. Bring me the strength I need to survive and to carry on Your will. I acknowledge that this is not something I can do without You.

I trust in you, Lord, and Your will is mine. Amen.

SHORT PRAYERS HOPE

O Lord, we stand before You, your humble servants, broken and in need of Your love. You are the God of Hope and of all things good and we pray that you lift ________ up in your arms right now, dear God and give him/her the hope he/she needs. Amen.

PRAYERS FOR HOPE AND HEALING

Dear God, we are here today, kneeling before You, Lord, to ask for your hand upon our brother/sister ______________. He/she needs Your healing touch and we ask that You bless him/her. It’s been a difficult week/day/year and we are here to humbly ask for Your healing for ______. Please, restore his/her body and his/her hope. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

PRAYERS FAITH

Lord, You provide us with perfect love at all times and have given us everything we need. We pray that you increase our faith and help us through the rocky times. Give us the strength to face these obstacles and let the difficult days strengthen our faith until we rely only on You, Lord. Amen.

PRAYERS LOVE

Our Father in Heaven, we pray to you as your servants, asking for an outpouring of love on this person/group.

They have been faithful and follow you, Lord, but they are in need of Your heavenly love. Show them how strong You are and how powerful.

Shower them with your love and blessings and let them never doubt again that they are truly loved in the Kingdom of God. In You we trust, Amen.

VERSES:

I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit.
Romans 15:13

“For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.
Jeremiah 29:11

No, the Lord’s delight is in those who fear him, those who put their hope in His unfailing love..  
Psalm 147:11

Источник: //www.holylandprayer.com/prayer_for/prayer-for-hope/

Prayers for Hope

Inspirational Prayers

for Hope

We may feel attacked, hindered, and restrained;

We may feel discouraged, depressed, and defeated

But

Paul tells us in Ephesians 6:10 KJV,

“Be STRONG in the Lord

and

in the Power of his Might.”

Then Paul gives us secrets

to winning our battles

by explaining the

Supernatural pieces of Armor

that we need to wear every day.

I encourage you to stand up

and

put on those pieces of armor

afresh and anew.

Click here for Putting on the Armor

Another full armor page: The Armor of God

First Prayer for Hope

Almighty God,

You are my hope, and you are my strength.

You are guiding me toward your will, and I will follow you.

I will walk in AMAZING Faith this day.

I will lift up truth,and I will pull down strongholds.

I will declare that my enemies will not triumph over me.

Sickness will not triumph over me.

Financial lack will not triumph over me.

And______________ will not triumph over me.

                (fill in the blank)

I was created to be POWERFUL.

I was created to beVICTORIOUS.

Today I will walk in the Power, Purpose, and Peace of Jesus Christ.

Amen

Copyright © 2006 Beth McLendon ofInspirational-Prayers.com

             Presenting a song

                  with the

              Power of Encouragement!

Prayers for Hope
continued

Dear Heavenly Father,

I am facinga situation that appears hopeless.

Emotions disappointment, confusion, anddepression want to attach themselves to me.

Reach out to me and bring me thoughts of a good future. I will welcome them.

Lord, show me newpossibilities.

Help me to more clearly see my gifts and talents. Help me to more clearly see the good things in my life.

Father God, help me to believe
that I am precious and valuable to you. 

Thank you that you have reminded me that I was born for a great purpose.

I will choose to believe that you are bringing hope into my heart this day, so that I will have more hope tonight when I go to bed thanwhen I got up this morning.

Father God, I will realize that hope has a name:

Jesus.

Amen!

Copyright © 2006 Beth McLendon of Inspirational-Prayers.com

Next is an adaptation

of the above prayer

that can be prayed

for a friend or loved one

who is facing a hopeless situation.

If you are praying for a man, please adapt the prayer.

Dear Heavenly Father,

I lift up pray for _______.

She is facingsituations that sometimes appear hopeless.

Disappointment, confusion, anddepression want to attach themselves to her.

I pray that you would reach out toher and bring her thoughts of a good future.

I pray that she would begin to see newpossibilities.

I pray that her gifts and talents would become more apparent toher.

May she see a glimpse of her great value.

May she believe that she was bornfor a great purpose.

May she have more hope tonight when she goes to bed, thanwhen she got up this morning.

And may she realize that hope has a name:

Jesus.

Amen

Copyright © 2006 Beth McLendon of Inspirational-Prayers.com

Scripture

Blessed be the God and Father

of our Lord Jesus Christ,

which according to his abundant mercy

hath begotten us again unto a

lively hope

by the resurrection of Jesus Christ

from the dead.

1 Peter 1:3 KJV

Prayers for Hope for Parents

Next is a prayer to pray for parents who are facing a

hopeless situation concerning their child.

Your children may be young or old.

The problem may be

financial,physical, relational, or other.

The situation may include an issue of an addiction.

Whatever theproblem or problems,

we lift up all aspects to our Loving Lord.

Loving Lord,

We lift up these parents to you.

Bless these parents as they standon your Word and on your goodness.

Encourage them to stay motivated andhopeful.

Help them to sense the POWER that is unleashed in prayer.

Give them renewed strength as they wait on you and your goodplans.

In Jesus' name,

Amen

Copyright © 2006 Beth McLendon of Inspirational-Prayers.com

Prayers for Hope continues with a

Prayer for Strength

for a

Parent to Pray. 

Note:

You may want to visit our Prayer for Children page.  

That page has in-depth prayer

for many importantissues that

our children face.

Loving Lord,

I am urgently seeking your help.

I am asking you to send your blessings on my emotions.

I am asking you to bring me strength as I standon your Word and on your goodness.

Encourage me to stay motivated andhopeful.

Help me to sense the POWER that is unleashed in prayer.

Give me renewed strength as I wait on you and your goodplans.

In Jesus' name I pray,

Amen

Copyright © 2006 Beth McLendon of Inspirational-Prayers.com

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