The most important shift I’ve ever made in the pursuit of hope is to aggressively surround myself with the Word of God. I use the term “aggressively” here because there is a difference between what I used to do and what I do today. In the past, when I was facing a difficult situation and needed extra support or encouragement, I might read the Bible a little longer or a little more often. But just reading more is not what has made the biggest impact.
When I aggressively surround myself with the Word, it looks like reading the Bible, yes, but it also looks like pulling out Scriptures on a certain topic and posting them all around me. I read them out loud, try to memorize them, and re-write them several times. The idea is to hide the Word in my heart, like Psalm 119:11 says. I want to absorb God’s heart into my heart. To know His thoughts as my own. To get the message from the page into my inner being, so that the Holy Spirit can bring it to the surface whenever it applies.
My friend once referred to this as the Holy Spirit’s “screen saver” in her mind when it is idle. She said she wants Scripture to be the thing she thinks about when she is not thinking about anything.
Another good friend of mine is a video producer, and he created this mini-film a few years ago to illustrate how he aggressively surrounds himself with the Word when he needs it the most. Sometimes we need pursue the Word as a response to difficulty. Other times, we need to pursue the Word in preparation for difficulty. My friend has made some incredible mini-films, but this one is my favorite of all. Take a moment to watch this very brief video to see what I mean:
https://www.ignitermedia.com/products/3221-leave-a-legacy
This is how hope hunters learn to live. They know how important it is to surround themselves with the Word, and they don’t just read any Scripture, although any Scripture is going to be helpful beyond what we could ever imagine. Specifically, hope hunters surround themselves with Scriptures that extol Who God is. If there is ever a time we need to remember who He is, it is when our problems seem big. We have to refocus in order to know that God is even bigger.
It will surprise you how much it will change your outlook when you secure yourself with biblical truths about God’s character. How we see God will affect how we see our circumstances. But if we are not careful, how we see our circumstances will affect how we see God. This cannot be! Hope hunters are proactive. They come back to the Bible to calibrate their minds. The best way to know who God is by reading who He says He is in His Word. Hope hunters take action based on biblical truth. God’s Word is living and active, effective in every circumstance. The more we rely on it, the more we will be encouraged. We can post Scripture all around our homes, offices, and cars to remind ourselves all day long that we are in good Hands.
The effect is not just a placebo effect, either. The Word doesn’t just make us “feel” better. It makes us better. In Isaiah 55:11 we read, “It is the same with my Word. I send it out, and it always produces fruit. It will accomplish all I want it to, and it will prosper everywhere I send it.”
Always means always. We don’t have to wonder if the Word will accomplish anything in our lives.
God has made a us a promise: It will.
(Next Week– How to Become a Hope Hunter #4: Rejoice in the Living God)
