Hope

Search Me

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February 17-  4th Day of Lent

Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. Point out anything in me that offends you, and lead me along the path of everlasting life. Psalms 139:23-24 NLT

When the surgeon came to meet me as I lay on the operating table I was calm. Though we had only spoken briefly while I had been examined in his office the week before I trusted him. How much more should we be trusting God during times of change in our lives? May this not just be a season of introspection but rather one of asking God for His inspection of our lives. When we trust God as our surgeon we yield to Him control of our life. We trust that even what we don’t yet understand will be best left in His hands.

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How can we know that He has our best at heart? We can be confident because we see that His own journey towards Easter morning was marked by a trust that was determined to stay the course, no matter the cost. We can choose again by faith to set out on whatever new path He chooses because His promise is that it leads to everlasting life!

 

Excerpt from Easter Reflections

Easter Reflections – Devotions for Lent 2018

 

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The Big He and the little me!

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Notice how David tells of three times when He – our big God comes to his rescue – the little me. “He shall hide me…He shall hide Me He shall set me!” What trouble are you facing today? What war is going on in your own family? What financial breakers are crashing on your shores? Are you battling with weaknesses and pains that seem to return as faithfully as the sunrise? No matter what you are facing today or how big the problem our great hope is the big He who is always watching over the little me!

The Greatest Hope

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A new commandment I give unto you, that ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. John 13:34

Every day our news is filled with the latest revelation of some scandal and the almost inevitable end of the career of some famous person. When we are hurt by those we love or begin to think of our own failures we can easily lose all hope.

But think of the last supper when Jesus washed His disciples’ feet while they were arguing about who was the best, Peter was just hours away from publicly denying that he knew Jesus  and Judas was planning to betray Him. Somehow in the middle of that tangled mess, Jesus still looked at His disciples with hope. The hope that Jesus placed in them was not based on the circumstances or the purity of their hearts. His hope for them and for us is based entirely on His choice to love. His love holds the key to His hope. By His love and grace, no matter how low we have fallen, can still make us into the man or woman He created us to be.  God’s hope has less to do with information about our past then with His plans for our future!

In light of God’s hope for us how much hope should we have for the people around us? When we begin to love others as He commands we will suddenly discover, there is still a great hope that we can share with the world today!