Yesterday marks the 15th year of when we wrote Hopeful Heart’s first post.

When we began, there was no grand strategy. It was a quiet night, prayerful yet shadowed by doubts. There was no carefully mapped plan, no large team assembled, no guarantee that there are answers to questions prayed but there was a small conviction that the Word of God is living and faithful. A conviction of knowing that when we share the Word of God, even in a small and ordinary way, we could encourage friends to be hopeful and believe again, just a little more.
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One post, one scripture, one reflection at a time and we ourselves are encouraged in return. Today, as I write, I am reminded that this moment exists only because of God’s grace. Not by strength nor by might but by the Spirit of Lord.

This verse reminds us that the work God establishes within us is not sustained by our might, our efforts, our sheer will but by His Spirit alone. Strength can fail. Might can be exhausted and willpower has its limit but the Spirit of the Lord sustains.

We think about this often, nothing is ever small in the Kingdom of God. The Lord is our multiplier, our very strength, protector and provider. Even one Bible scripture could refresh a weary soul, His timely word could renew someone’s hope so every devotional that shares of His Words could remind a believer that God is near and has not forgotten them. His Words too could call a lost soul to embrace the freedom He gives.

We are a team of ordinary people who love God and love His Word. We have our own seasons of doubt, weariness and wondering whether what we do here matters. And yet, what keeps us returning is not our own ability or faithfulness, it is His.

To every person who has read, shared, prayed along, returned and stayed, thank you. You are a part of this too. Hopeful Heart has never been a one-way conversation. You have encouraged us with your presence, prayers and encouragements.

We may not know what the coming years will be like but we know the One who does. We trust the Lord will continue to do what only He can do through us in this journey. May we always remember how much God loves us and cares for us with daily grace. Amen.

Zechariah 4: 6 NIV
So he said to me, “This is the word of the LORD to Zerubbabel: ‘Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,’ says the LORD Almighty.
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Zechariah 4:10 NLT
Do not despise these small beginnings, for the Lord rejoices to see the work begin.
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- Hopeful Heart Team

Some battles are loud, some may require hard conversations. Telling a manager the workload is unsustainable, raising boundaries with loved ones, saying no and many more. Some of these conversations may even rehearse in our minds weeks before it happen, some for years and some left unsaid becoming an invisible burden.

God said to Joshua, "Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go." - Joshua 1: 9. 

Notice what God said to Joshua, He did not promise Joshua that the task would be easy, he did not assured Joshua that he would be brave. The Lord gave Joshua something better than a fleeting feeling, the Lord gave Joshua a fact; the fact that The Lord God will be with him wherever he goes. Courage here is not an absence of fear, not an absence of worry nor doubt but it is an obedience of walking forward with God's assurance that He is always with us.

The word "wherever" means the Lord will be with you in that meeting room, He will be with you for that  phone call you rather avoid, He will be with you in your home when the hard conversation needs to be said with love. The Lord walks with you, sits beside you, steading your nervous ways and gracing you with His peace that surpasses understanding.

Be strong and courageous, know that the Lord will always be present wherever you go. Invite Him in your conversations, invite Him to your handle your fears and worries.

​- John W.

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I used to think strength meant never showing weakness openly.

If a man was struggling, he would work and try harder. Strength in my definition would be the absence of visible need for help. Foolishly, I held on to that belief and later learned that what I thought is strength was actually, just silence and silence is not peace.

I think I may not be the only one who thinks that way. Many of us believe as a Christian, we need to be responsible and dependable at home and work, helpful to everyone around us but somewhere, somehow, we have forgotten to ask for help, even from God.

But Paul, who was not a weak man, wrote in 2 Corinthians that is both humbling and brave. He carried a struggle he could not shake yet the Lord did not remove it. Instead, God told him, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” God’s power is made perfect to enable Paul in his weakness, the Lord is Paul’s source of strength.

If you are carrying something heavy, even in quiet perseverance, you do not have to have it sorted before you bring your burden to the Lord. He is not waiting for you to be stronger. He is simply waiting for you to come. Are you brave enough to ask for help? Asking for help is not weakness.

2 Corinthians 12:9 NIV
My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.

​- John W.

In my years of working, I have observed a pattern in workplaces, ministry and teams. Leadership or power quietly drift from servant posture into control and pride stemming from insecurities.

It simply happens when protecting our position becomes more important than caring for the people we lead or working with. You will see the changes when collaborations turn into compliance, others may stop speaking up because they no longer feel safe in offering ideas or suggestions in the fear or worry of being seen as challenging leadership or any power above them.

The shift is often subtle but the observing it and shifting our behaviour as someone with authority, power or leadership matters. When something goes differently than we planned, do we feel concern for those affected or do we feel personally threatened and exert control at, sometimes, the expense of others’ inconveniences. The answers will reveal whether we are leading or simply guarding our own authority and pride.
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In Matthew 20, James and John asked Jesus for positions of honour. The other disciples were upset at the questions because they too, wanted the same thing. Jesus gently redirected all of them: “Whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant.”
In God’s Kingdom, greatness is not measured by influence, title or how many people “listens” to us. It is measured by how well we serve. Control grows from insecurity but service and a servant posture grow from knowing who we are in Christ.
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When our identity is rooted in Him, we no longer need to cling to our title , power and influence. We can lead with open hands, free to give, free to listen and free to serve without fear of losing our authority or leadership. We can lead through serving, just like Jesus.

Matthew 20:26–28 NIV
Whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant… just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve.

- John W.

There is a kind of tiredness that sleep does not fix.

It is not the tiredness of a long day. It is the tiredness that comes from seasons of faithful effort with results that seem slow to materialise. Perhaps, it is also the tiredness of not knowing what to pray anymore or from the daily grind of adulthood; a certain burnt out.

In 1 Kings 19. Elijah had just witnessed one of the great demonstrations of God's power sending fire from heaven, the prophets of Baal defeated and yet, within days he is under a tree asking God to take his life. He is exhausted. He is afraid. He is done.

However, we will read on and find the grace God imparted to Elijah. He did not rebuke Elijah, instead, He sent bread baked over hot coals, a jar of water and an angel who woke Elijah and gently remind him to get up and eat. Twice, the angel said, "Get up and eat. The journey is too great for you." Kings 19:7
In every season, sometimes the posture we could adopt is not helplessness but a posture of rest, a posture which allows us to receive and allow the Lord to restore what trials and hardships have taken from us. He knows the limit of our strength.

The Apostle Paul wrote that God's power is made perfect in weakness, not despite it, but in it. A tired person is not disqualified; he/she is often the closest to God because they have run out of the self-sufficiency that can so easily crowd the Lord’s strength out.

If you are weary today and burnt out, you are simply in the place where God does His best work.
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2 Corinthians 12:9 NIV
My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.

- John W.

There is a beautiful stained glass window in the historic Wesley’s Chapel in London. Etched into the glass are these tender words: “If I take the wings of the morning and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea; even there shall thy hand lead me and thy right hand shall hold me.”

For as long as people have lived, we have longed for wings or metaphorically, freedom from our troubles. We seek ways to rise above the weights and troubles of our days and surely, we have had days where we think life must be easier, brighter, freer somewhere else or for other people.

The Psalmist understood that longing too. He cried, “Oh, that I had wings like a dove! I would fly away and be at rest”  Psalm 55: 6 NLT. Yet he also discovered the true secret of rest and he proclaimed: “The Lord sustained me.”
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The Lord will sustain us and He extends the same promise in Isaiah 40: 31 NLT, “But those who trust in the LORD will find new strength. They will soar high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint.”

When we pause and dwell on God’s Word and promises, His presence visits our weary hearts, in quietness and prayers, something beautiful happens; we rise. We find ourselves lifted into peace, steadied by His love and sustained by His strength.

The world will try to run on their own strength, they too, wish for wings and hope they can outrun their troubles. But in the Lord’s promise, He reminds us that running and walking come after the renewing. Wings come before feet. What hope does a weary soul have when it rushes to run before being renewed and restored?
 
Psalm 27: 14 NLT
Wait patiently for the LORD. Be brave and courageous. Yes, wait patiently for the LORD.

Isaiah 40: 31 NLT
But those who trust in the LORD will find new strength. They will soar high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint.

Psalm 55: 6 NLT
Oh, that I had wings like a dove! I would fly away and be at rest

- Irene Soon 

In Australia, we have a bird called the willie wagtail. Although it is a  different type of bird, I often liken it to the sparrow.

​Perhaps it is just the way they puff their chest or how tiny I see they are. They are however much bigger than the sparrows but the sight of one brings me joy and reminded me of the verse in Matthew 10.

In the Bible, Jesus said, “Are not two sparrows sold for a copper coin? And not one of them falls to the ground apart from your Father’s care…So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows (Matthew 10:29 – 31).

Jesus is heeding us to hold on to the faith that the Lord is bigger than any of our problems and challenges. When circumstances threaten us to lose hope, we can find this truth that the Lord who loves the little sparrows are also our Saviour who numbers the very hairs on our head.

He is the Saviour who watches over us; the loving Saviour who remembers every detail of our lives and everyday, every moment, we are always under the Lord’s watchful eyes and loving care. His eyes who are on the sparrows are also on you and me.
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Matthew 10:29 - 31
Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground outside your Father’s care. And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.

- Irene Soon 

Growing up, my parents taught us the children on the values of persistence, determination and commitment in all our pursuits and endeavours. Whilst they are good qualities, in my case, it imposes self-generated urgencies.

John 10: 10 tells us that our Lord has come to give us life in abundance opposing to the thief who comes to steal, kill and destroy, but what if our self-generated urgencies are stopping us from living the abundant life God has gifted us?

Self-generated urgencies are weights or metaphorically, ‘the stones’ we unknowingly carry. They manifest mentally as a burden that we carry everywhere we go; it constants reminds that you have not done your best, the house is still dirty, your wardrobe is full of junk, you have not lost the weight or that you were passed for that job promotions and the list goes on.  The nagging will only stop if you heed the voices and urgently finish tasks that you think will bring you happiness. Yes, it will give you temporary satisfaction or happiness but it is a never-ending daily cycle that constantly tries to steal your peace and joy.

Dear friends, it is the Lord who gives us the wisdom to know when to lay aside or let go of the self-generated urgencies. The Bible heeds us to cast every burden to the Lord. Could I encourage you to lay every ‘stones’, aspirations, worries, anxieties with prayers to seek strength and wisdom. It is your heritage to receive the abundant life God has gifted you. Learn to let go and deliberately cast the stones that torments you. Let the Lord grant you wisdom that brings clarity; He will take care of you, cast each burden and He will strengthen you to let go of any false self-generated urgencies.
 
Psalm 55: 22 NKJV
Cast your burden on the Lord, and he will sustain you; he will never permit the righteous to be moved

Isaiah 54:17 NKJV
No weapon formed against you shall prosper, And every tongue which rises against you in judgment You shall condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, And their righteousness is from Me,” says the LORD.

- John W.

During my trip to China, I saw barbed wire fence along the border between China and the nation next to it - DPRK, it came to mind a picture of physical oppression. We as follower of Christ are no exempt as we may be under spiritual oppression – oppression of sins making us prisoners of sins.

God reminded me about freedom in Him, that we are no more slave to sin but slave to righteousness (Romans 6: 18). In the Bible, being slave o righteousness means we are fully repentant and committed to the cause of Christ, we strive to be obedient to His calling and seek to do what is pleasing to the Lord in contrast to us serving the sins that engulf and entrap us in cycles of defeat.

When I pray for clarity and guidance in trials, there are times I was met with no answers but am reminded of His promise in the Bible that when I obey, the Lord with strengthen me to continue and when I stray, He will lead me back to the path of righteousness.

This freedom is given by the Lord so we could have a life of living testimony and that we could proclaim the Good News to the poor in the spirit, freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free (Luke 4: 18). Proclaim the Good News of the Lord and set the prisoners free.
 
Romans 6: 18 NIV
You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness
 
Isaiah 42:16 NKJV
I will bring the blind by a way they did not know; I will lead them in paths they have not known. I will make darkness light before them, And crooked places straight. These things I will do for them and not forsake them.

- Jenni Wang

Recently I have been reading through the book of Jeremiah. There are lots of judgement - not only for God’s people, but also for other nations. Surprisingly though, it is not the focus of the book as God also promises restoration to other nation as well. This reminds me of the Sovereignty of the Lord, He is the Judge as well as the Restorer.
 
God’s grace and mercy is not reserved only for His people, neither is His judgement only for unbelievers. His fairness reminds me that we pray not only for believers to keep rooted in faith and be fruitful in Christ but we also need to extend His mercy and compassion to unbelievers because it is within His heart to restore, to see all be blessed abundantly and that everyone including those who are yet to believe in Him, can have a fulfilled lives through Christ Jesus.

Personally, it is hard for me to pray this, seeing corruptions, greed and suffering in my country, seeing people in power to be self-serving and harming the weaker innocents; marginalizing them to poverty rather than fostering peace and caring for the ones in need. It is however, not for me to judge as God is the judge of all and I’m called to extend His compassion and grace to unbelievers too, to pray for them to have the heart of Christ and bring the likeness of His Kingdom to the world, to instil in believers’ hearts the courage and faith to be a true ambassador of Christ, bringing hope and restoration in this uncertain, challenging and corrupt times. God want's to restore.
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May God strengthen us to bring changes and restorations in our own world through prayers and courage to do what is needed. God bless you.
 
2 Corinthians 5:20 (NIV)
"We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God.
 
Colossians 3:13 (NIV)
“Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.”

- Jenni Wang