Hope deferred makes the heart sick,
but desire fulfilled is a tree of life.

Proverbs 13:12

Heart disease (that is disease to our physical heart that bumps blood all through our body) continues to be the leading cause of death in the United States. High blood pressure, unhealthy cholesterol levels, genetic factors, diabetes, obesity, tobacco use, alcoholism, and low amounts of physical activity are just some of the risk factors which lead to this devastating disease. The financial strain placed on the US economy in dealing with all these risk factors and the actual onslaught of heart disease is nearly $400 billion in just one year! To say, that this single disease is devastating to the entirety of the US culture, is not an understatement. And yet is persists; decade after decade…after decade. It seems hopeless that humanity will ever be able to reduce the impact of heart disease.

There is another disease of the heart that is often overlooked or more likely, simply kept a secret. And that is the spiritual disease of our hearts. That is to say, the inner most part of who we are; our souls which encompass all our emotions and all our thoughts and all of who we truly are…even the secret places that are so deep that only God sees them clearly. 

For the Word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.

Hebrews 4:12

The key verse for today declares hope that is deferred; meaning not realized yet, actually makes the heart (inner-self) sick. I believe this and can testify it is SO true. I bet you can testify to the same. 

And if we were having hot drinks together at a local coffee shop you and I would be able to produce a very long list of risk factors for ‘inner-self heart disease’ and the list would seem endless. And we would proceed, as we munch on a sweet pastry, to give personal experience to a dozen or more of the risk factors on our list. And, because we are very wise and trust each other, I believe we would arrive at a very singular truth about our list. 

All the risk factors we can ever list that leads to our inner-self hearts being sick, boils down to just one gigantic risk factor from which all the other risk factors flow.

That risk factor is: “Hope Deferred”! 

We hope all day long and about all kinds of things and in every day of our lives. 

Everything from little things…

“I hope I won’t get stuck (deferred) in a traffic jam and be late for work.”

“I hope the bakery is not out of (deferred) donuts again.”

To Bigger stuff…

“I hoped to go to Disney World this year, but it will have to wait (defer) until I get another job.”

“I hoped to go this or that elite university, but because my test scores are not high enough, I will have to postpone (defer) that and go to junior college for a year.” 

To Life Changing Stuff…

“I hoped she would marry me, but (deferred) she accepted that other guy’s proposal.”

“I hoped to see my mother before she died, but my plane was delayed (deferred) for five hours and I as too late to the hospital.” 

To Eternity Changing Decisions…

“I hope I have attended church enough and given enough money to charity so I can have a peaceful afterlife.”

“I hope I am right that there is no God and that there is no hell or heaven and that I can just do as I please all my life and die and…and…and…what?”

“I hope in God…He is the only Tree of Life!”

Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy
and peace in believing,
so that you will abound in
hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Romans 15:13