Hope

Now More Than Ever!

/ pastorpete51 / 4 Comments

The Lord is my light and my salvation. Whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life. Of whom then shall I be afraid? Psalm 27:1 KJV

When I go for a quiet walk in the park or wade in the waves at the beach, peace seems an easy concept to get a hold of. But with our nation in crisis, and people lining up for miles just hoping for a plane ride out of Afghanistan, peace sounds more like a fairy tale than a reality. In Psalm twenty-seven, King David found himself in a similar circumstance, surrounded by an army, as powerful and deadly as the Taliban. His enemies had already wiped out nearly every man woman and child in the town of Anathoth, for simply giving him and his men a few loaves of bread and a single sword. But on that evening as David looked down at the encampment of blood thirsty men, God asked Him what he was afraid of and on David’s darkest night, the answer came. “The Lord is my light and my salvation. Why should we be afraid?” Just as in David’s day, the Lord remains our light and the only one We can depend on to help us through. Our current state of helplessness does us the favor of reminding us that He alone is true strength!

So what are you facing? What challenge is on your path this morning? God has allowed this situation. At times like these people often say, “God is still in control.”. While that of course is true, it would be even more accurate to say that, “God is more in control now than ever: because we are not!”  He wants us to see that now more than ever, He is our hope and our salvation and we don’t ever need to be afraid!

Days of Hope

/ pastorpete51 / 4 Comments

And Jesus said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you become fishers of men. Mark 1:17

There is nothing that says hope quite like going fishing. We put some bait on a hook and cast it into the water and then wait just hoping for a bite. I loved the photo I used for the featured image today because it is of a Father teaching His son to fish. He doesn’t just sit on the beach and say, “Okay go for it!” No! Instead, He is right there behind him, holding the rod and showing Him everything he will need to learn to catch fish. That is what our Heavenly Father wants to do for every one of us when we answer His call to become fishers of men. He promises to stand by us and help us every step of the way! For those looking for a large print devotional for yourselves or for a loved one I have written the book 31 days of Hope. It is filled with personal stories of Hope especially for those in long term care or who are facing life altering challenges. Though originally released in 2017, this edition features many new devotionals that reflect world changing effects of the virus in all our lives. Here is the link for the Kindle version. This may be just what you need to give to someone else as an encouragement. You never know what a little hope can do!

Seeds of Hope

/ pastorpete51 / 5 Comments

So take heart, men, for I have faith in God that it will be exactly as I have been told. Acts 27:25 ESV

This past week I have been cleaning up the flower beds and planting seeds at my sister in law’s. While she is in hospice care at home my wife is cooking and helping with personal care while I weed, water and trim. Those seeds I plant give Diane hope because every one put in the ground says, “Come back in six weeks and I’ll show you my blooms!” Those seeds reminded me of the story of Saint Paul in the storm.

When Paul was going through that storm the easiest thing to do would have been to complain and blame everyone else. Yet though we can be sure that Paul prayed plenty the text seems to say that God just sent an angel with a message of hope while he was sleeping. Get the picture? Everyone was desperately fighting the storm, but Paul said his prayers, trusted God and lay down to rest! Then when Paul woke up he passed that hope on to everyone else who was in the same boat with him.

When we plant seeds, our garden doesn’t do anything. Its job is simply to receive. We as the gardeners do all the work and the garden gets to give joy to anyone who sees the flowers when they bloom. If we are believers in Jesus Christ then we each are a part of God’s big garden. God plants some seeds of hope in all of us especially when we are facing storms. Maybe we should ask, “What seeds of hope has he given me that I might show to others as they face their storm today?