What True Hope Looks Like

HOPE. Such a common word with a vast variance of meaning. Often we use the word 'hope' in regard to something we would like. I 'hope' my favorite ice cream is in stock, I 'hope' it doesn't rain at the beach, I 'hope' my friends will join me for some fun. Almost a source of wishful thinking. It can be used in well wishing for others - I 'hope' you feel better soon. Desiring better things to come into someone's life and circumstance.

When circumstances become challenging, hope dramatically becomes more important. Hope is the spark of light that gives courage to continue on through a dark valley. Hope may be a thread that we grasp when we feel like we are at the end of our rope.

Without hope, darkness threatens to consume us. When there is no light, no sign of change it can be overwhelming. Problems can become self absorbing until they are all that we see.

Psalms 130:5 says "I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in His Word I do hope." A footnote in my Bible says, "in biblical thought, hope was synonymous with certainty. The psalmist puts his hope in God's Word and is standing on the promises of God."

Psalm 71:14 says "But I will hope continually..." The Hebrew verb translated hope describes a confident expectation that God will intervene and deliver. Biblical hope is much more than wishful thinking, but a confidence in something bigger than ourselves or our circumstance.

The best thing about hope is that it is one of God's attributes. God is the God of hope. He doesn't give glimpses of hope that disappear, He IS hope, He has given us hope and as we trust Him, He will fill us with joy, peace and the promise that we will abound in hope.

If you are struggling to see light at the end of the tunnel today, hold on to hope, cling to God who is our HOPE. Be confident, read God's Word and look expectantly for true hope.

Comments

Sometimes We Score, Sometimes We Block

Our family is in the midst of little league soccer season. My youngest son is playing and his enthusiasm is contagious. He is pretty good at the sport, but what makes it so great is that he loves it! He counts the days until the next game or practice. He loves his coach and teammates. He has moved up an age level this year and the players are working more like team, passing to each other and watching out for each other during play. During the last game, my son scored two goals, they were the only goals of the game. In today's game the team scored eight goals. My son came up afterwards to me and said, "I didn't score today, but I blocked". What a powerful truth those words can hold. In life, sometimes we score, sometimes we block. Sometimes we do great things, we excel, we achieve, we meet our goal - we score! There are also times we see the needs of others, sometimes they are sad or hurting, we block their hits. We look out for them so they can score. We...

Top 10 Workout DVDs

Prevention Magazine is a leader in health and fitness news and products. They recently came up with the top 10 list of workout DVDs. They have examined the many fitness DVDs out there and narrowed down a list of the best ones. There is a DVD for every fitness level. If you are looking to incorporate some exercise into your day in the convenience of your own home, take a look at this list. Here is an additional money saving tip: If you see a DVD that you are interested in, check out Amazon or Ebay before ordering. Many times they have pre-owned DVDs at a fraction of the cost of a new one.

WFW – Write It On My Heart

This is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after that time, declares the Lord. I will put My laws in their minds and write them on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be My people. Hebrews 8:10 On a recent field trip to a museum featuring the days gone by, we sat in an old schoolroom as the teacher introduced us to the quill pen and bottle of ink. She cautioned us to use extreme caution using the ink and told us that if it got on our skin or clothes, it would not come off. This reminded me of this beautiful promise from Hebrews. God told His people he would put His law in their minds and write it on their hearts. This is a covenant which cannot be broken. He loves us and wants us to know Him through His Word. As we read more and more of His Word, it becomes w...

Joyfull Living

Search This Blog