Letters from a Fourteen-Year Old Heart

I am so excited to share something with you tonight. As most of you know, the reason I created this blog was to bring about a message of hope. God has been impressing upon my heart the theme of hope within these last few months. What I discovered last night was that this theme began not a few months ago, but years ago.

Tucked away in my "treasure box" are letters, letters to someone very special. I had not forgotten about these letters, but it has been a couple years since I've read them.

When I was fourteen-years old, I began to pray for a special someone, someone who I would one day spend my life with, someone who I would grow in the knowledge of the Lord with, someone who I would walk beside "till death do us part".....my future husband. As I began to read these precious words written by a young, exuberant heart, an excitement grew within me. I have prayed for this person for many, many years. I have prayed that he would have such a deep love for the Lord and that he would walk uprightly in all that he does. And that in our time of waiting until the day we would meet, we would trust in God's plan and know that it is perfect.

Letter after letter, an all-too familiar theme presented itself: hope. In a few of the letters I referenced Romans 8:25: "For if we hope for what we do not see, we eagerly wait for it with perseverance." In another letter, I pledged purity to not only my future husband but also my future children. I prayed that in this time of waiting, that God would guard my heart, as well. In one of the letters, I referenced verses that "brought me hope." Psalm 84:11: "For the Lord is a sun and shield. The Lord will give grace and glory. No good thing will He withhold from the who walk uprightly." Yet, one letter stood out......above all the rest.

Written on January 12, 2003, I wrote:

God has allowed people to come into my life that give me hope for the future. I have been awed. These people have changed my perspective. I realize that I do not want to settle for less than God's best. I'm afraid that I would have settled for less. I'm thankful to God for this experience.

Tears flooded my eyes as I read those words. Even back in the year 2003, the Lord was using others to fill me with the message of hope. I had a realization that I wanted nothing less than God's perfect will for my life. What is so significant about this paragraph is that this principle is exactly what I am being encouraged with at this present time. The Lord has raised up precious people in my life. They encourage me with the message of hope. This message gives me encouragement to wait, yes wait, for His perfect will....in His perfect timing.

I felt as if God were sitting on my bed right next to me saying: "See, dear child. I am in control. I have given you desires, hopes, dreams. I have had My Hand over your life, even since the day you were born. I am in control. Do you trust in Me?"

"Yes, Lord.....I do trust in you."

What I am encouraging you to do is pray, dear ones. Pray about...everything continuously. (1 Thessalonians 5:17) Nothing is too small, too insignificant, too vague, or even to vast to bring before the Father's throne. He delights in every detail of our lives. Praise God for that!

Psalm 37: 23: "The Lord directs the steps of the godly. He delights in every detail of their lives."

Little did I know the events that would follow the writing of those letters. Little did I know the plans that He had in store for me. Little do you know the wonderful plans that God has in store for you, dear one. But, we serve a God Who is the "Blessed Controller of all things." Trust Him. Devote time in prayer to Him. Surrender to His plan. Accept that you are not in control. Walk in the hope that He so freely gives.

"There I will go to the altar of God, to God—the source of all my joy..... I will put my hope in God! I will praise him again— my Savior and my God!" Psalm 4a, 5b

Hannah Grace