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Writer's pictureBetsy Kay Ridgway, M.S.

Hope is More Than a Word

Updated: Jun 2


Baby asleep after brain surgery

How does "hope" transform you from a word? Hmm, herein lies a deep secret that few find, yet it is a simple treasure to be mined.

The answer lies at the start of the Book of John, "In the beginning was the Word..." This morning I tried to imagine this: just God and the Word, nothing else. This is the beginning of all things.

The mystery of this passage lends us more clarity as we continue on, "...and the Word was with God, and the Word was God". God and the Word are one. This is how powerful the Word is, it IS God. Then reading on, "He was with God in the beginning." Now the Word is "He". Who is "He?"

Skipping down to verse 14, "The Word was made flesh and dwelt among us. We have seen His glory, the glory of the One and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth." Wow! Mystery solved. The "Word" is Jesus.

God and the Word are one in the same. Amazing! In Genesis, God created all things by speaking His Word. God spoke creation into existence! Herein lies a beautiful principle that God shares for our good measure. When we speak God's Word, we can create something from nothing (Romans 4:17).

Looking at my 8 month old baby boy in the heartbreaking picture above, one might see death. The medical community prophesized his death when they told us he had a 2% chance to live. We lived with devestation - at first. But when God and I connected with our words, God imparted words of hope for Russ and I.

This is when I learned the lesson in real time. There is power in words. The power of life and death are in the tongue according to God's Word. And I know this to be true. We took this hopeless picture of death and turned it into a picture of hope, of life, of joy! How? We started proclaiming words of life over our little baby. God's Words.


Happy baby

Here's our little Sean just five months later. One month prior he had endured a second life-threatening brain surgery. This particular week he was undergoing high-dose chemotherapy to kill any remaining cancer cells.

This is a picture of what you will see when you proclaim life over a "hopeless" situation. Your picture might look very different. You may feel anxiety and depression. Then proclaim Words of comfort and peace.

Whatever your situation is, speak the Word of life over your "hopeless" situation to transform it into a picture of hope. We knew that even if God took our little baby to heaven, we would be taken care of either way. God planted the seeds of hope in our hearts when we turned to the Word. When we connect to God through His Word, we receive the abundant life of peace, hope and joy!

To read the above story in full, go to my "Shoppe" page and buy my book, "The Song of My Hope". Would you like to see my technique of how to transform yourself into a picture of hope? Then visit me next time here at Sparkling Hope!

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