“Expect to have hope rekindled.  Expect your prayers to be answered in wondrous ways.  The dry seasons in life do not last.  The spring rains will come again.” ~ Sarah Ban Breathnach

John Maxwell says “Leaders need to be Hope Dealers”.  When things get tough and everything is changing and uncertain, what everyone needs the most is hope.  In the midst of a crisis, leaders must keep hope alive.  Anytime followers feel hopeless, they will look to their leader for signs of hope.

Great leaders always find a way to bring hope to the hopeless.  This requires maturity and a big picture perspective.  Controlling leaders and insecure leaders don’t think of helping others in a time of crisis or uncertainty.  They are self-absorbed and focused only on their own survival.  The controlling leader goes into “fix it” mode, while the insecure leader is looking for someone to blame. 

The mature leader however, responds to difficult challenges by first bringing hope to his or her team members.  It’s like a breath of fresh air to those who are overwhelmed and suffocated by their circumstances.  To effectively give hope, a leader must first be filled with hope themselves.  You can’t give hope if you don’t have hope.  Here’s Paul’s prayer for you:

I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit. (Romans 15:13 NLT)

This is a great leadership prayer!  True confidence, satisfaction and peace are only possible if you have hope.  Those who are “hopeless” are locked up in the prison of worry, panic and fear.  The only way to set them free and unlock the chains of hopelessness is to give them hope.  As the leader, you hold the keys of hope.

Notice that Paul prays for the leader to “overflow with confident hope”.  This is accomplished by the Holy Spirit working in us and through us.  True hope comes by the power of the Holy Spirit who fills us with hope so that our hope can spill over into the lives of others.  You can’t fake hope.  It has to be genuine or it will pass like a vapor.  The Holy Spirit brings confident hope to the soul of the leader who trusts God in the midst of difficult circumstances.

Hope is like a firm foundation in the midst of an earthquake.  Even if everything is shaky around you, hope brings a sense of security and confidence.  Always look for hope in the midst of any crisis or time of uncertainty.  You will find it if you seek it by the power of the Holy Spirit, and then let your hope overflow. 

Make Paul’s prayer your prayer.  Trust God to do great things in spite of your circumstances.   Overflow with confident hope and inspire and encourage your team by being a “Hope Dealer” today.