Hope and Faith

True hope is faith in action

 and the constancy of faith in all contradictory circumstances.

 Praying Through the Tough Times, Lloyd Ogilvie.

Hope is trusting in God, having faith and holding onto his word and promises no matter how things look in the outward appearance. Sometimes hope is hard to come by.  We may feel so discouraged and weighed down by the the problems of life that we cannot even lift our head. 

David describes that feeling so often in the Psalms.

                                     I am dying from grief;

my years are shortened by sadness.

Misery has drained my strength; 

I am wasting away from within.

 Ps. 31:10

And yet, he always seemed to find a way to encourage himself.

But I am trusting you, O LORD,

saying, "You are my God!"

My future is in your hands. 

Ps. 31:14

No matter how low we may feel, we can still say, "I trust in you, Lord.  My life is in your hands." 

Lord, we sometimes feel so impoverished with no hope or faith of our own. When we feel that low, so drained and discouraged, grant us your inspiration and your gifts of faith and hope. We put our trust in you.  We know that you are in charge and are working everything out for our good. 

So be strong and take courage

 all you who put your hope in the LORD!

Ps. 31.24

The Humanity of Jesus

Image from The Humanity of Jesus, Dr. Dann Spader, sonlife.com

Because God’s children are human beings

—made of flesh and blood—

the Son also became flesh and blood.

 Since he himself has gone through suffering and testing,

 he is able to help us when we are being tested. 

 Heb 2:14,18 (NLT)

We think so much about Christ's divinity, not often about his humanity. But, it is Christ, in his humanity, who is our companion in our times of trouble or sorrow.

Because he is human, he feels what we feel. He is our helper and not just one who stands aloof, but one who enters into our suffering with us. He is for us, constantly interceding and pleading for our healing and well-being. Because of his deep empathy for us, he is able to comfort and sustain us. 

Nothing we ever go through will ever be able to separate us from this love. That is why we are exhorted to come without hesitation to him to ask and receive the help we need. He stands ready to come to our aid, to calm our fears and to comfort us with his love.

Who then will condemn us? 
No one

for Christ Jesus died for us
 and was raised to life for us,
and he is sitting in the place of honor
 at God’s right hand,
pleading for us.
Romans 8:34 (NLT)

This High Priest of ours understands our weaknesses, 

for he faced all of the same testings we do.

So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. 

There we will receive his mercy, 

and we will find grace to help us

when we need it most.

Heb 4:15-16 (NLT)

No power in the sky above or in the earth below

—indeed, nothing in all creation 

will ever be able to separate us from the love of God

 that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.

 Romans 8:39 (NLT)

You Raise Me Up

Since, then, you have been raised with Christ,

set your hearts on things above, 

where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. 

Set your minds on things above, 

not on earthly things.

Col. 3:1-2 (NIV) 

The secret of victory is being above our circumstances.  If we are wallowing in them, we will feel depressed and discouraged.  We can't solve anything from below.  But, when we are raised above then we have the perspective to see who we are and what we need to do.  

Jesus lifts us up to the heavenly realms where it is all peace and joy.  With this spirit everything seems so much lighter and we don't take things so seriously.  

Lord, thank you for lifting us up with you.  Help us to keep that perspective in the midst of every circumstances.

                             And God raised us up with Christ

 and seated us with him in the heavenly realms 

in Christ Jesus. 

Eph. 2:6 (NIV)

Our citizenship is in heaven.

Eph 3.20

You Raise Me Up

When I am down and, oh, my soul, so weary;
When troubles come and my heart burdened be;
Then I am still and wait here in the silence,
Until you come and sit awhile with me.

You raise me up, so I can stand on mountains;
You raise me up to walk on stormy seas;
I am strong when I am on your shoulders;
You raise me up to more than I can be.

There is no life - no life without its hunger;
Each restless heart beats so imperfectly;
But when you come and I am filled with wonder,
Sometimes, I think I glimpse eternity.

You raise me up, so I can stand on mountains;
You raise me up to walk on stormy seas;
I am strong when I am on your shoulders;
You raise me up to more than I can be.

You raise me up to more than I can be.

Josh Groban

Listen to the song:    You Raise Me Up

Good Gifts

Every good and perfect gift is from above,

 coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights. 

James 1:17

Peace

 Joy 

Mercy 

Compassion 

Companionship 

Presence

Incredible Gifts 

All these treasures hidden in Him - 

the Son given, the Baby born -

 Wonderful
 Marvelous One
 Counselor and Guide 

 Mighty God

Faithful Forever Father
 Prince of Peace 

Indescribable Gifts 

He

greatest gift of all 

gave His all so we might live
 and He forgive. 

In Him we have redemption 

the forgiveness of sins,

 new life.

A costly gift.  

He paid the price.

Inexpressible Gift 

Open the gift.

 Believe and receive.

Ask Him in.

The greatest gift of all.

Jesus

Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift! 

2 Cor. 9:15

God of Comfort

When we arrived, there was no rest for us.  

Outside there was conflict from every direction, 

and inside there was fear. 

 But God who encourages those who are discouraged,

 encouraged us. 

2 Cor 7:5-6

There are many times in this life that we feel overwhelmed.  All around our outside circumstances are challenging us and inside is nothing but fear. God understands. That's the time to look to him, the God of all comfort. When we feel helpless, weak and discouraged we can count on God's spirit. If we seek him and ask, he will come to encourage and sustain us in the midst of our trouble.

Thank you, God, for your spirit that comes to comfort and encourage us in all our times of trouble. 

God is our merciful Father

 and the source of all comfort.
 He comforts us in all our troubles.

 2 Cor 1:3-4

Equipped

 God's divine power has given us everything we need

 for life and for godliness.

2 Peter 1:3 (GW)

God promises to give us everything we need. That means he provides for our every day practical needs and also for our spiritual needs.

God provides whatever we need for our daily lives - our daily bread.  He is the good shepherd caring for his sheep and providing their every need - green pasture, clean water and protection from enemies. 

He also provides for our spiritual needs. When we hear the word "godliness" we may think, "I'm certainly not very godly."  But, our good shepherd provides for that need to.  By his spirit within us, he gives us the desire to pray, he inspires us to do good things for others and he fills us with his gifts of patience and kindness. He gives us peace and encouragement to accomplish whatever he has given us to do.

All these things come from him who gives everything that we need.  He equips us in every way by his power. 

 May he equip you with all you need for doing his will. May he produce in you, through the power of Jesus Christ, every good thing that is pleasing to him.

Heb 13:21 (NLT)

Peace

I am leaving you with a gift - peace of mind and heart.

And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give.

So don't be troubled or afraid.

John 14:27 (NLT)

  Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done.  Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.Phil 4:6-7 (NLT)

The peace of God is a priceless gift. 

If I jump out of bed in the morning and charge into my day without contacting the giver of peace I can be confronted with an onslaught of the days worries and cares.  I look at my circumstances. They may be perplexing and difficult creating confusion and fear.  Sometimes things don't make sense. That's when I realize the world doesn't have much peace to offer me. 

But, if the first thing I do in the morning is line my spirit up with the Prince of Peace and put everything that will come my way into his hands, I can go through the day in peace.  The presence of his peace is my guard.  If my peace is disturbed, I can stop and listen.  Perhaps I need to change my course, set a boundary or release my anxiety.  
 
O Lord, thank you for the promise and gift of your peace.  May we partake of that gift today.  When this world tries to disturb our peace guard our hearts and give us wisdom.