Dashed Hopes

By Joni Eareckson TadaWhen I came home from the hospital after my accident and realized my quadriplegia would be lifelong, my heart drained of all hope. The first part of Proverbs 13:12 resonated with me, and I felt heartsick.

We have all experienced the Lord telling us ‘no.’ Even when we request good and godly things, we’ve known the bitter disappointment of an unfulfilled desire. Does that ‘no’ mean that our hopes are dashed forever? Is it pointless for us to continue wishing for those good things?

Well, take another look at our verse. It doesn’t say hope crushed makes the heart sick; it says hope deferred.

The word “deferred” is very different from “denied.” God will not, in the end, deny me a request that is good and godly. As a child of God, all of my desires for Christ-honoring things will, in some way, be fulfilled completely and eternally in heaven.

Yes, my heart may be disappointed that my godly hopes are deferred. The postponement may even make me heartsick. But such heart-sickness is actually a homesickness for heaven. One day our godly longings will be fulfilled in a way that makes their earthly fulfillment pale in comparison. For in heaven, I will walk again. I will run, skip, dance, and embrace my friends, family, and especially Ken Tada. These good things and more are not that far off in the future!

We can have confidence in this: godly hopes deferred will one day find their fulfillment in our eternal joy in heaven.

Lord, I thank you for the desires you’ve given me for good things. If the time is right in your perfect plan, I would ask that you satisfy the desire I have for this specific thing right now. If this is something I must wait for, please give me a vision for the joy I will experience when I see the eternal fulfillment of my desire. May the certain hope of eternity with you be always enough.