There is Hope

Lamentations 3:26 “It is good that one should hope and wait quietly For the salvation of the Lord.”

To hope is a powerful thing.  The definition of hope in a purely secular sense is a feeling of expectation and desire for a certain thing to happen.  The Biblical definition of hope is as follows - Hope is the confident expectation of what God has promised and the strength of hope is in His Faithfulness to keep/fulfill His promises.

2 Peter 3:9 “The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.”

God keeps and performs His word.  Years ago, we had a woman in our church, we called her Sister Mac.  Sister Mac had a saying “if God said it, He is duty bound to perform it”.   She was right. 

Numbers 23:19 “God is not a man, that He should lie, Nor a son of man that He should repent.  Has He said, and will He not do?  Or has He spoken, and will He not make good?”

When we hope for something there is an intrinsic need to wait.  Our waiting can take different approaches. 

The writer of Lamentations said “it is good” to “hope and wait quietly” …….

There are times when we are waiting that it is hard to be quiet, in fact most of us, as we wait, can have a tendency to be verbally negative.  It is hard to wait and have a good attitude.  If we are to maintain our hope/expectation and faith…..sometimes we just need to remain silent before the Lord and wait for Him to perform His Word. 

If He said it, He is duty bound to keep it.

PRAYER: Heavenly Father, help me to wait quietly with hope in You as you perform Your Word in my life.  In Jesus Name.  Amen.

You Are Not Alone

As a child my family moved from a major metropolitan area on the west coast to a small farming community in northeastern Texas.  It was a good move for our family but it took some adjusting.  A new school, new classmates a completely new culture.  I had gone from a “city” kid to living in what seemed like the middle of nowhere.  Our family farm wasn’t large but we leased some adjacent farm land that allowed us to farm several hundred acres around us.  Our farm had no existing homes or occupied homes around.  We were somewhat isolated.  I found myself feeling very alone.  My family was around but I felt all alone.

Early one morning I was home because of a snow day which was very unusual for our part of the country.  I found myself walking across the meadow and into some woods.  As I made my way through a dense stand of cedar trees I came upon a small isolated pond.   The water was like a mirror so still and calm.  I sat down under one of the cedar trees upon a fallen log and felt alone.  As I sat there I began to hear the sounds of the world around me….sounds of birds fliting from branch to branch, the sound of the breeze rustling through the branches and as I sat there a small deer stepped out from the brush and dipped her head down for a drink.  I sat in awe as I watched her lift her head and lightly step away back into the thick brush.  As I sat there, I heard a still small voice speak to me and say “you are not alone, I am always with you”. 

Hebrews 13:5b For He Himself has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you”.

We are never alone!  Though we may feel as if no one is near or cares, as if no one hears us or sees us for who we are.  We know that God sees us, Matthew 10:29-30 “Are not two sparrows sold for a cent?  And yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father.  But the very hairs of your head are all numbered.  So do not fear, you are more valuable than many sparrows”.

God loves you and you are not alone. 

No matter how it seems or how you feel you are not alone.  Rise above how you feel and see God’s hand upon you.

PRAYER: Heavenly Father, help me to move beyond how I feel into a place of knowing You’re with me.  Even when I don’t see it, even when I don’t feel it.  In Jesus Name. Amen.