Consumed With Hope

Read: Job 11:13-19 (Hope-filled Verse)

“Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.” - Romans 5:5 (NKJV)

Life rarely transpires as simply as we hope it will. Nothing is ever easy. Something usually goes wrong that rearranges our plans and causes stress, confusion and sometimes even depression. I know what it feels like to wallow in a hopeless cesspool of gloom. Only the mercy of God gave me the hope I needed to climb out of the dark pit of self-pity, which I dug for myself.

In Romans, Paul reminds me that if I have the courage not to give up, and if I hope in the Lord, then God will strengthen my heart. Daily, God prompts me to learn from my past mistakes and to meet each pure, fresh day with renewed enthusiasm. I find success if I obey His Spirit, even though it may greatly differ from what I had planned and regardless of what forces try to hinder me.

God did not promise us tomorrow, but He inspires us with His hope for today. Hope sheds light on our path, cheers us on our way, and grows brighter even if our circumstances darken. We also aid others along life’s way by empathizing with their discouragement; by sharing Bible verses with them, which lightened our heart; and by encouraging their hopes and dreams.

Prayer:

Lord, keep Your eye on those of us who hope in Your mercy. Remind us that our ultimate hope rests in living for eternity with You.

Thought for the Day:

Life in Christ is secure, because He is our hope.

Restoration of All Things

Read: Zech 10:6-9

"So I will restore to you the years that the swarming locust has eaten, the crawling locust, the consuming locust, and the chewing locust, my great army which I sent among you. - Joel 2:25

I started my adult life with a handsome husband. We soon entertained an adorable family of three precocious children. As they grew, God also gave me a meaningful career. To top it all off, He provided an attentive Pomeranian pet. I counted all of these gifts as abundant blessings for which I thanked God daily. Over a period of five short years, however, these treasures were stripped from my life.

My children went off to college or moved away from home. I lost my vocation as a teacher and mentor for at risk children. Then, as if things could not get any more dismal, my husband of twenty-two years told me that he saw no option for us but divorce.

I soon stood alone in half of a duplex with a portable dishwasher, a single recliner and a couch that did not even match, a few bookcases, some furniture my dad made for me over the years and an empty king-sized bed. My Pomeranian was my only true remaining treasure. Since I ended up working three jobs to pay my bills and to build up a nest egg toward retirement, I eventually even lost my cherished dog, when I gave her to a lovely family across town with small children whom she adored.

It is interesting to note in Joel 2:25 that God declares that He is the one who sends this army of figurative "locust" into our life. He uses them to strip us of everything, which we hold precious and which we believe that we cannot live without. One by one, they slip through our fingers like chaff in the wind. We sink deeper by the day into a pit of gloom and despair, until one day we gain the courage to look up into the light of His face.

Somehow as one day drags into the next, we stop struggling to regain the life we once knew. We throw our soul upon God’s mercy and grace, and we trust Him to do what is best for us. We find our strength, our joy and our hope centered in Him alone. Once we are stripped of every ounce of our “self” and we cast all of our cares upon Him, then He starts to restore everything that He allowed Satan to strip from our lives.

Over these last several years, God gave me the inner strength to realize that He and I can meet any trial life throws my way. He also restored to me a new loving husband, multiple grandchildren, a fulfilling ministry, a quaint cottage home full of beautiful furniture and another gorgeous Pomeranian that distinctly resembles my little, lost treasure.

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, I have learned to never take for granted one of Your precious gifts. I trust You with every detail of my life and I look to You for Your guidance and wisdom for each moment that remains until I finally see You face-to-face.

Thought for the Day:

When all is lost, look up…your redemption draws near.