For ages, compasses have provided guidance and direction for pilots, hikers, sailors, and others. But in the midst of Maui’s deep valleys and towering mountains rests a place called Magnetic Peak. Surrounded by beauty yet lacking in luster, it will leave you wondering what direction is right. Buried within the rusty looking lava rock is an iron-rich magnetic field. A field strong enough to deflect a compass needle, diverting hikers from a correct north course.
Pain, similar to a compass in a magnetic field, is a false sense of direction. Without an anchor, the pain of our circumstances can lead even the most experienced hiker to wander. And unlike the popular saying – not all who wander are lost – straying from the only real source of hope will lead you down lost trails.
In most cases, you and I can’t change our circumstances, but we can choose to lean on and draw from the One who never changes.
Cry Out To Him
Upload your prayers to download His peace. Never underestimate what one prayer can do. I can’t help but think about the rain Elijah would have missed if he stopped praying the sixth time (1 Kings 18:422-44). Or Hannah who poured out her heart for a child (1 Samuel 1). Plant yourself in the presence of the Lord and watch your tears flourish into a deeper understanding of Him, a wider grasp of His love for you, and a higher perspective of your situation. Being faithful in prayer allows us to be patient in affliction, and therefore joyful in hope (Romans 12:12). So lean in, linger, and listen.
- I rise before dawn and cry for help; I have put my hope in your word. (Psalm 119:147)
- Hear my cry, O God; listen to my prayer. From the ends of the earth, I call to you; I call as my heart grows faint; lead me to the rock that is higher than I. (Psalm 61:1-2)
- The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears them; he delivers them from all their troubles. The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit. (Psalm 34:17)
- He will call upon me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honor him. (Psalm 91:15)
- The righteous will flourish like a palm tree; they will grow like a cedar of Lebanon; planted in the house of the Lord, they will flourish in the courts of our God. (Psalm 92:12-13)
Surrendering “Why?” for Wisdom
If I can be completely honest, I’ve struggled with this one. Perhaps no one suffered more than Job and yet in Job 34:32 we see him asking God to teach him what he could not see. Asking for God’s wisdom to discern the rocky path, anchors your heart deep into the Father’s all-knowing, all-encompassing direction for your life. Hope is looking forward into an unknown future with a known God. Laying our limited understanding aside, you and I can rest in the arms of the One who has no limit.
- Show me your ways, Lord, teach me your paths. Guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long. (Psalm 25:4–5)
- Know also that wisdom is like honey for you: If you find it, there is a future hope for you, and your hope will not be cut off. (Proverbs 24:14)
- Listen, my son, and be wise, and set your heart on the right path: (Proverbs 23:19)
- For the Lord searches every heart and understands every desire and every thought. If you seek him, he will be found by you. (1 Chronicles 28:9)
- Great is our Lord and mighty in power; his understanding has no limit. (Psalm 147:5).
Exchanging “How To” For His Will
In the middle of the valley, when pain sends us into the panic of trying to fix it, we can choose to carry a load we weren’t designed to carry, or we can release the reigns to the One who knows the road ahead. Only then can we hear Him whispers “This is the way, walk in it.” Because when you realize how deeply you are loved (Ephesians 3:18), you can place your life in a trustworthy God, who will never lead you wrong. Blesses are those whose hope is in the Lord their God (Psalm 146:5).
- Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love, for I have put my trust in you. Show me the way I should go, for to you I entrust my life. (Psalm 143:8)
- Blessed are those whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the Lord their God. (Psalm 146:5)
- But the eyes of the Lord are on those who fear him, on those whose hope is in his unfailing love. (Psalm 33:18)
- Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, “This is the way; walk in it.” (Isaiah 30:21)
- I will lead the blind by a way they did not know; I will guide them on unfamiliar paths. I will turn darkness into light before them and rough places into level ground. These things I will do for them, and I will not forsake them. (Isaiah 42:16)
He who engraved our names on the palms of His hands does not take our suffering lightly. When Jesus calls you out of your comfort boat, out of the known, you’re stepping out onto His raging ocean of love. It’s only then He calms the storm within giving you hope to stay afloat. The storm you’re in will not last forever.
May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit (Romans 15:13).
Press In
- Has the pain of your circumstance misdirected your way?
- Are you trying to carry the burden of “fixing it”?
- Choose one scripture (or more) from each section and write out a prayer to carry with you.
Thank you for the hope you’re scripture has given me.