As the watchman waits for sun’s first rays And a bridegroom turns when the music plays Hope stands outside our door
As before the flower a bud first swells And the Robin comes as the snow still melts Spring breathes and longs for more
At the sunset hour when the grave was sealed In that silent night when no church bells pealed Who knew what lay in store?
In grief Mary trudged to the tomb that day Before the dawn turned black to gray To that terrible place Where her Lord had died Till He came Called her name Now forever alive!
Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life. Proverbs 13:12 NIV
For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. Luke 11:10 NIV
As we approach New Year, I confess that over the last twelve months, most of what I hoped for, didn’t happen the way I planned, many of my best efforts turned out to be fruitless and looking ahead, I have no idea what will happen next. There is just so much I don’t know, but I do know that God is not the God of hopelessness. But in the middle of our daily battles, He challenges our faith, tests our resolve and then surprises us with grace. Here in our home, our responsibilities concerning our friend Betty who came to live with us after the hurricane in October of ’24 have grown considerably as her dementia has increased and after a minor stroke just after Thanksgiving. Nancy and I struggle along with the help and prayers of friends and several health aides who stop by throughout the week. Each day feels like slogging through a muddy field, but we have hope, though our plans for the coming year are all pretty much on hold. We have a God Who has promised to never leave or forsake, who assures us that in the valleys He will walk with us…with me…with my wife and with our friend Betty. He will keep our family. He will provide answers, and He will carry us in His arms like a shepherd! (Isaiah 40:11) What an amazing hope we have!
Too often when we read today’s verse, we fail to follow through on Luke’s fuller explanation in verses 11-14. Rather than stopping at the open door, Jesus teaches us that no father will give hurtful or dangerous gifts to his children when they ask for things like bread, a fish or an egg. Then He ends with the thought that our Heavenly Father will also give us good things: and the best of all gifts is Himself. He gives His Holy Spirit, to those who ask. What more valuable gift could we possess, who better to guide, what greater hope can we have than the Holy Spirit to lead us into tomorrow? Though it will be a New Year for us, for our Father in Heaven who stands outside of time, every moment is already written in His book. Now I ask that God will bless and keep you as He leads, protects, provides and encourages by His unfailing love and eternal grace through every one of the days ahead!
For I know the plans I have for you declares the Lord. Plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. Jeremiah 29:11 ESV
Whether I turn on the news or just crawl out of bed and pour my first cup of coffee, my life usually doesn’t feel perfect or planned by anyone; let alone by God. Instead, things look chaotic, unexpected, and sometimes even dangerous. But through facing my wife’s cancer, suffering through the pain of our son’s divorce, and the death of a close friend’s small child, I have learned, that God has still been in charge. Even in our most chaotic circumstances, He brought things into order and shone His light on our darkest days. Of course, God is in charge of everyone and everything in the universe, but for those of us who are Christians, God has given us a special assurance because of the cross. God showed us His love and mercy on a hill called Calvary, while Jesus went through His darkest, and most chaotic time, during six hours nailed to that terrible Cross. Now in spite of any situation, God promises us that in every circumstance, that He has good plans for our future and a wonderful hope for us today!
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