Tagged: hope

  But you, LORD, are a shield that protects me; you are my glory and the one who restores me. Psalm 3:3   You hem me in behind and before, and you lay your hand upon me. Psalm 139:5  My prayers have been compartmentalized for so many years. Jesus, heal me. Father, protect me. Holy Spirit, help me. The realization is dawning in my soul like a sunrise that I am encircled. I am surrounded by the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. The Three in One are never alone and therefore I am never alone.  God exists in community; therefore so do I. The concept of God’s encircling is everywhere in Scripture. Psalm 3 describes the Lord as a shield who protects us.… Read More

  My God with his lovingkindness will meet me (ASV). The God who loves me will help me (NET). Psalm 59:10 My work requires extensive travel. Sometimes, I arrive at my destination expected, prepared for, and cared for, while other times, I am on my own. Being expected, prepared for, and cared for makes a big difference. Sometimes it’s critical to know someone is waiting for me. One time I flew from Egypt to Kenya so sick I almost passed out in the passport queue upon arrival. As the blackness closed in, I feverishly scanned the crowd for a kind face, trying to decide if it was better to introduce myself before I fainted or let them meet me by looking through my bag for… Read More

When the Lord saw that he turned aside to see, God called to him out of the bush, “Moses, Moses!” And he said, “Here I am.” Exodus 3:4 The door to the cheese shop is sparkling The pedestrian crosswalk is shimmering I turn aside to see As you walk away from me. I parked in this spot A long time ago To drop off a friend who thought I needed to know. The fears I had for you Were come true It’s too late are the words That stuck to. The tree-lined street Was dark that day As all my hopes Fell away. But today! Here I am again Bringing you to help That same dear friend. Fear for you Has been replaced With joy… Read More

  Now the passage of scripture the man was reading was this: “He was led like a sheep to slaughter, and like a lamb before its shearer is silent, so he did not open his mouth. In humiliation justice was taken from him. Who can describe his posterity? For his life was taken away from the earth.” Acts 8:32-33, NET   We need to understand justice through the rough-hewn frame of the Cross. God is the God of Instead, who in His mysterious magnificence practices the beautiful principle of exchange. He takes upon Himself the punishment so that we might receive the reward instead. The justice we long for is beyond our reach. It is too dear, too expensive. Unattainable in human power. Underneath the… Read More

And Noah did all that God commanded him—he did indeed. Genesis 6:22, NET The earth was ruined. Not by global warming, massive flooding, or earthquakes. But by human hearts.  The heart has that mighty, terrible power. Every inclination of the thoughts of their minds was only evil all the time (v.5). God’s heart was wounded, and He was highly offended by the ones He had created. Yet there was one who brought God comfort. His name was Noah, and he walked with God.  Noah was a godly man; he was blameless among his contemporaries. He walked with God (v.9). We humans are not the only ones who find comfort and hope in a friend willing to walk with us when our hearts are broken. God… Read More

Written by a gospel worker who needed to remind her troubled soul. Why do I put myself in peril, and take my life in my hands? Even if he slays me, I will hope in him... Job 13:14-15a I already made this decision, Lord. It is not one to be revisited. I decided as my child lay in the hospital fighting for his life that I would trust You. It is finished. I trust You. I trusted You that night. I will trust you today, as I am assailed on every side, and the one I love is not exempt from the bullseye. What more will You allow in Your sovereignty? I do not dare imagine; I refuse old practices of bartering and bargaining with… Read More

  The LORD is my shepherd, I lack nothing. He takes me to lush pastures, he leads me to refreshing water. He restores my strength. Psalm 23:1-3     Hope for a Saturday Morning Song   A song hums low  Behind the noise Beneath the chaos Invitation to joy.   A narrated song With video I see the images A picture show.   A happy list Of things to do Not things I must But only want to.   Visit the garden shop Choose some roses Linger among  Violets and posies.   Make an oasis Privacy screen With roses for walls I’ll sip my tea.   Meet a friend For no good reason Except for revelry In blooming season.   Make good bread Knead it… Read More

They went out and got into the boat. John 21:3b Her house is gone, just gone. In its place is a garden. But when I stand there, listening to the creek that has not altered with time, I feel her front porch beckoning me. The swing sings on the wind, inviting me to sit awhile. I can smell the pungent odor of her marigolds, which she swore kept the mosquitoes away. I can see the sparkle of her blue cut-glass candy dish with the fancy lid, always full of cinnamon candy and butterscotch drops. It’s as real as it ever was. But my grandmother’s house is gone. Just gone. It was razed to the ground after a terrible loss. Nothing could ever be the same… Read More

Awake, north wind, and come, south wind! Blow on my garden, that its fragrance may spread everywhere. Song of Songs 4:16   But thanks be to God, who in Christ always leads us in triumphal procession, and through us spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of him everywhere. For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing, to one a fragrance from death to death, to the other a fragrance from life to life. 2 Corinthians 2:14-16 I stood looking out over the pitiful inlet, feeling deeply sorry for myself. My husband and small son were mercifully asleep, and it was the first quiet moment I’d had all day. The past twenty-four hours… Read More

Then Israel sang this song: “Spring up, O well!—Sing to it!— Numbers 21:17 We have spent two weeks in the place of springs, the valley of weeping and affliction that bears that beautiful invitation to spring-making and spring-naming. Today, we shall sing, for there is another secret to springs in the valley: they become wells. In Numbers 21 we find the Israelites on the way to the Red Sea, going around the land of Edom. Scripture tells us, And the people became impatient in the way (v. 4). Impatience is the spring they chose to drink from that day, and it made them more thirsty. Instead of refreshing them, the Spring of Impatience widened their gaping need, filling their souls to the brim with crippling… Read More