Hope
Before I ever knew about Hope, God gave me Mom. Her creativity in seeing beyond what is, provided a foundation of hope in my life in many areas.
It was in the 1930’s that Mom showed me the cotton feed sack that had held chicken feed for Dad’s chickens. Dainty blue flowers printed on 100% cotton cloth. Then she began to tell me how she would create a new dress for me from this material, I began to catch her vision – what little girl is not delighted to wear a new dress. Mother washed the material, ironed it, and then began to cut out the pieces and stitch them together. Finally it was time to try on the dress. It fit perfectly. Then I saw it!
A hole in the cloth! My hopes for a new dress were dashed. I showed the small hole to Mom. She smiled, “That is no problem, that is a perfect place for a pocket!” She added, “If the hole were smaller, I could just embroidery a flower over the hole, but a pocket will work.”
Seeing her confidence, my hope was restored. The dress was finished, and I wore it with pride. I didn’t know it then, but Mom had given me more than a new dress. She gave me a lesson in Hope!
God is in the business of hope. He gives us hope through the power of His Holy Name, through and Jesus, His only Son. That hope is rests on our faith and trust in Him. That faith allows us to see beyond what is and provides wisdom for us.
The verses from Psalm 37:3-4 were favorites of Mom. “Trust in the LORD and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture. Take delight in the LORD, and He will give you the desires of your heart.
Delight in the Lord? That delight stems from choosing to trust and have faith in God. I often think of my six year old piano students. When I give them a choice of how many pieces they want to learn for the next week, they always rise with delight and expectation to choose more. This is so like us. It is not a begrudging choice, it is not an obedience that is forced. It is a choice that is joyfully made, a giving of our whole hearts to the Lord and we hunger for more of Him in our hearts..
It is no wonder that Jesus said, “Truly I tell you, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.” Mark 10:15
We wait in hope for the LORD; he is our help and our shield. In him our hearts rejoice for we trust in his holy name But the eyes of the LORD are on those who fear him, on those whose hope is in his unfailing love,” Psalm 33:20-21.
Remember your birthday? Remember the anticipation when your heart beats faster, as you anticipate what you will see in the next year? The verse describes the hope that is ours and the anticipation in hope for the Lord.
My favorite part of the verses – But eyes of the Lord are on those who fear (respect) Him…God never takes His eyes off of us – we are His children – He made us. He loves us. He is the foundation of our hope in life. He is the genesis of our joy. He is the author of our faith. He is! And The LORD is our Hope!
HOPE
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