From a Sick Heart to a Happy Heart

My Continued Journey from a Sick Heart to a Happy Heart
by Angela Cabrera

Angela Cabrera

Hope deferred makes the heart sick.  Proverbs 13:12
Where there is no vision, the people perish.  Proverbs 29:18

Recently, my husband interviewed for a job and made it to the top three.
When we found out the job was offered to someone else, we were very disappointed.  Throughout our marriage finances have been tight, but it has always been our dream to one day have enough money to own a house, support more missionaries, and have some left over for savings.  At the beginning of this year, after seeking the Lord for 2010, we both felt that this would be the year that Will would move up within his company to a position that would bring us to a place financially where we’d have the money to do those things.   With every interview we face the question, “could this be it?”  Then our excitement builds when we think of all the things a new position would offer for us.  So, remembering back to after this last interview, I can say that our hope was deferred and we really felt our hearts were sick.

Maybe you too have feet like something you hope for is delayed in coming.  How can you make sure your heart doesn’t get sick when this happens?  First, you need a vision.  Ask the Lord if the thing you are hoping for is in his plan for you.  I know after the Lord spoke to both my husband and me in January, He also used other people throughout this year to confirm some of things that He had said to us.  Even though we haven’t seen the fulfillment of these things yet, we have a vision, a hope and a promise that they will happen.

After you receive a vision, you need to be reminded of God’s faithfulness.  Take the time to look back and see the faithfulness of the Lord in your life in the past.  After hearing a message on the radio recently, I was challenged to look back at all of the things God has done for us financially.  We used to be in a place where our monthly income was less than the money that needed to go out every month.  We shouldn’t have survived, but God used people and situations many times to provide.  One time our phone bill was either paid by someone, or God erased the debt.  Another time money showed up in the mail at Christmas time.  God also used friends to pay off a very large debt for us!  Take the time to remember what specific things God has done to show his faithfulness in your own life.  Maybe He has answered prayers or used people to minister to you.  Keep a journal of those things so whenever you do feel a little sick at heart, you can remember that He has been faithful in the past, so He will be in the future.

Throughout the Bible, the Israelites were commanded to celebrate their feasts and continue to tell the story of exiting Egypt so that future generations would remember the power and faithfulness of God in the past.  Here’s an example: Exodus 12:17 “Celebrate the Feast of Unleavened Bread, because it was on this very day that I brought your divisions out of Egypt. Celebrate this day as a lasting ordinance for the generations to come.”  Exodus 12:26-27 “And when your children ask you, ‘What does this ceremony mean to you?’  then tell them, ‘It is the Passover sacrifice to the LORD, who passed over the houses of the Israelites in Egypt and spared our homes when he struck down the Egyptians.’ ”

Lastly, if you feel your hope has been deferred, remind yourself of the promises He’s spoken over you for the future.   Maybe He has spoken to you about your future through the Bible; write it down!  Has he spoken to you through a sermon, or through a friend?  Write it down!  Once I started thinking about God’s faithfulness in the past, He reminded me that He keeps using other people to bless us financially, because He wants us to learn that HE is our provider, not Will’s employer.  Then He reminded me of some of the things He’s spoken for our future.  Once I started remembering His faithfulness and His promises, I was no longer heart sick, I was excited!  I love that we don’t know all the details of HOW God will do what He says He will do, but I know from the past and present in my own life, that He WILL do what He says He will do.  “God is not a man, that he should lie, nor a son of man, that he should change his mind. Does he speak and then not act? Does he promise and not fulfill?”  Numbers 23:19

The Fire of Delayed Answers By Bob Sorge This book helps clarify why the answers to our prayers may be delayed and gives practical advice for walking in faith and hope until God’s release comes. If we are to mature into greater dimensions of kingdom fruitfulness, then we must commit ourselves to understanding how God uses delay to refine His chosen ones.Intensely passionate and practical, this book is written from the crucible of the author’s own personal crisis of delayed answers. This is not a book of platitudes but of powerful insights that have come through the fire. May your heart be enlarged and your faith expanded as you consider the great blessings extended to those who wait in God alone.

Live a Praying Life: Open Your Life to God’s Power and Provision By Jennifer Kennedy Dean Get serious about prayer with this in-depth, everything-included 13-week interactive Bible study! Dean’s insightful overview addresses foundational questions such as “If God is sovereign, why should I pray?” and “Why are his answers often delayed?” You’ll also find advice on cultivating a vibrant prayer life, daily exercises, Scripture reading assignments, space to journal, and more. 243 pages, softcover from New Hope.

Withstanding the Enemy: Overcoming Hindrances to Answered Prayer By Duncan Carr Withstanding the Enemy Overcoming hindrances to answered prayer Daniel’s prayer was heard on Day 1. Why did his answer take 21 days to come in Daniel 10:13? Why does Paul tell us in Ephesians 6:13 to take up the whole armor of God when we pray? How can we increase the fervency of our prayers? What can we do if our answer is delayed? Withstanding the Enemy provides practical insight on how to not only develop and maintain the faith necessary for successful intercession, but also on how to withstand those spiritual enemies that war against us to delay the answer to our prayers.