HOPE

                              Hope
                        Written by; Rebecca S.Daniels

                   
One of the reasons that we can trust God when everything goes wrong, and align our lives according to the priorities of the invisible world, is because we have hope.We see a picture of what God intends to do which is far, far better than what we often see before our physical eyes.The Bible says that Moses persevered because he saw him who is invisible.When we focus our eyes on what is invisible,we are filled with HOPE.And when we see the ways in which GOD wants to transform our lives we see a preferred picture of the future.We have vision beyond the visible.

In several places in Scripture, GOD has given us a vision for the culmination of history.Men and women from every tribe,language,culture and nation will gather around the throne, surrounding the 10 million angels,led in worship by the team of 24 elders and 4 living creatures-perfectly aligned,in total communication and intimacy,each using his or her potential to the maximum without any of the impediments of sins and sadness,each bringing his or her cultural uniqueness to the party.What an incredible vision ! And today,because of His grace,in churches around the world we catch a glimpse of that vision.


Several years ago GOD gave the missionaries in Italy a picture of the future which didn't look at all like the present.He gave them a picture of churches from several ethnicities in northern Italy gathering together for an agape feast in an urban park.,in the picture,as the people happily mill around,talking and laughing and enjoying fellowship,the leaders of the churches are preparing to lay their hands on and pray for a couple who are being set aside for their second term of missionary service.These missionaries had caught a glimpse of a little piece of heaven.

Last year in early September,part of that picture became reality.The churches in Italy gathered for their first nation-wide missionary conference.George Verwer from Operation Mobilization spoke to the gathering of 300 people,and 30 people responded to the challenge to give their lives for missionary service. That is the power of VISION,the sustaining force of HOPE.