When you are waiting and hoping for something to come through, and it doesn’t come through, that is what Proverbs 13:12 means by “hope deferred.” The word translated “deferred” in this verse is a word that means something that is drawn out or postponed.
What if you are unemployed and waiting for a job to come through? What if you are ill and waiting for the doctors to find a solution? What if you are single and waiting to find that special person? I am sure you can think of many examples where waiting is not merely inconvenient but downright difficult and discouraging. Now those are all pretty simple examples of waiting, but sometimes waiting involves more serious circumstances. How many of you like to wait? How many kids like waiting for their gifts on Christmas? None of us like waiting! Whether you are waiting for a phone call, waiting for a package to arrive, or just waiting for the light to change, none of us like to wait. The first part of the verse has to do with waiting. And this proverb makes the accurate observation that: “Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life.” (Proverbs 13:12) Because they are short, they come at us fast, but we need to slow down and take the time to reflect on them if we are going to absorb their wisdom. Proverbs are general statements that teach us wisdom by making pointed observations about life. So let’s begin by taking a look at the general application of our verse. First we will make the general application, then a Christmas application, and then we will finish with a personal application of this proverb. So tonight we will look at this verse from three different angles. And even though the verse is not specifically about Christmas, there is a clear Christmas application wrapped up in the wisdom of this particular proverb from Solomon.Ĭhristmas is all about hope and longing and promises fulfilled, and this proverb captures these elements perfectly in two succinct phrases: “Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life.” (Proverbs 13:12) INTRODUCTION: Our Scripture tonight is a single verse from the book of Proverbs, which is not where we normally go for a Christmas passage.
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