The Cowboy Preached Hope

He didn’t really intend to, but he preached hope to me when he called. My big brother with his big hat and his big mustache and his big, hope-filled heart.

He called to tell me about a day when he had a need that exceeded his resources. And how he just said, “Lord, you know what I need and I don’t have the means to take care of it. So, I’m just going to leave it here with you until you are ready to provide.” And then he kept walking through life – trusting God. God answered his prayer and he wanted to share the joy of that with me.

When God answered, my brother was surprised by the way that God provided but he wasn’t surprised that God provided. And because we have a shared history containing lots of stories of God answering prayer, he called to share the fun of how God had done it this time. And we laughed together – with laughter and praise that reached to Heaven.

The joy of this story is double rich because our history also contains times when we didn’t share conversations or joys about God. The subject of Jesus was something that divided us. But, God answered those prayers, too, when He captured the heart of my brother and brought him back home.

It reminded me of when Paul was talking about his story.

They only were hearing it said, “He who used to persecute us is now preaching the faith he once tried to destroy.” And they glorified God because of me.

Galatians 1:23-24

And I stared deep into the beauty of God’s redemptive work while I listened to my brother tell of his chances to share his story with others to point them toward Jesus. And I heard him say again that the faithful prayers of loving Christians mattered – a lot. “They never gave up, sis. They just kept praying. All those years. They never gave up! They never stopped believing that the Lord would bring me back!”

And then he started preaching hope to me. “Never, ever give up, Bec. The Lord is going to do His work! He is going to finish it! Never stop praying, sis! I’m telling you – keep on! It’s going to happen!”

And his words picked me up and dusted me off and urged me back into the middle of the fray again. Words of hope. Reminders of truth.

See how it works? Someone listened when the Lord prompted them to reach out in caring faith to help my brother. And he reached out in joyful, hopeful faith to share the truth with me. And now, I’m telling you so you can pass on the reinforcing, hope-filled faith to someone else.

We have to remind each other: our God will finish what He has begun. His love never gives up. His grace never reaches an end. His plans will be accomplished.

Never give up. Never stop praying. Take hope … and pass it along.

The Lord of hosts has sworn “As I have planned, so shall it be,

and as I have purposed, so shall it stand.”

For the Lord of hosts has purposed and who will annul it?

His hand is stretched out, and who will turn it back?

Isaiah 14:24, 27