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| rhapsodyinwords.com |
“I have set the LORD
always before me: because he is at my
right hand, I shall not be moved. Therefore, my heart is glad, and my glory
rejoiceth: my flesh also shall rest in hope.” Psalm 16:9 (KJV)
hope
hōp/
noun
- 1.a feeling of expectation and desire for a certain thing to happen."he looked through her belongings in the hope of coming across some information"
synonyms: aspiration, desire, wish, expectation, ambition, aim, goal, plan, design;More
- 2.archaica feeling of trust.
verb
- 1.want something to happen or be the case."he's hoping for an offer of compensation"
“In the Old Testament hope is expressed by several different
words meaning ‘safety, security, trust,’” 2
We sing several gospel songs about hope. One that comes
to mind is, “My Hope is in You, LORD.” We have hymns of the church that tell us
about hope. One line in the hymn ‘Great Is Thy Faithfulness” stands out to me;
“Strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow.”
Back in 1999, I took on a short-term job, to oversee a
daycare during a large church general conference held in our town. Part of my
work was planning ahead of time. One thing that concerned me was I did not know
how many to plan for. The parents did not pre-register their children. This
inaction frustrated me. I had no way of knowing how many children we would
have.
The day before the conference began, I received a phone
call from a person who worked at headquarters and had spoken at our church a
couple of years earlier. The young woman ended our conversation with the words
from “Great is thy Faithfulness,” ‘Strength for today and bright hope for
tomorrow.’ I never forgot those words. A few years ago, I made a sign for the
wall of my writing room, using that phrase.
In our 21st Century world, we need hope.
People lose hope and do serious deeds that either cease or change their lives
or end or alter the lives of others. We need to learn how to handle our
frustrations, rages, and our hurts. We should learn to listen to those who confide
in us about their heartaches.
We need to believe what we read in our Bibles and live it
out before our families, friends, and neighbors. We need to learn scripture and
apply it to our daily lives. Then, I believe we will show hope to our hurting world.
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- /www.google.com/webhp?sourceid=chrome-instant&ion=1&espv=2&ie=UTF-8#q=Hope
- The New Unger’s Bible Dictionary, Moody Press, Chicago, revised 1988, page 585
Hi Cecelia! I have to ask, how many children came to your conference?
ReplyDeleteHope is such a needed grace, especially in times of trouble. And who doesn't have troubles? You are so right, we do need to believe what the bible tells us. It's not just a bunch of pretty words. It's the truth!
Blessings,
Ceil
Ceil: That conference was 17 years ago and I can't remember. I do remember setting a number in my mind in order to purchase snack foods. The school age lady forgot about snacks for those children. I had enough to share with the school age section. I love the verse in 1 Corinthians 13:13, "Now abides three things, faith, hope and love. But, the greatest of these is love." (as I remember it.) Paul is right, we need all three.
DeleteThanks for this thought, Cecelia. We need a huge dose of hope every day, don't we?
ReplyDeleteJen: Yes we do. I attended what was supposed to be a tree planting and dedication for a memorial tree at our church's prayer walk.The tree is in honor and memory of Jillian Marie. One year ago she helped dedicate the prayer walk by helping cut the ribbon. Her mother had a difficult time with the service. The hope she has is that she will see her daughter again in heaven.
DeleteGood post Cecelia, we cannot live without hope, the Bible is full of it. We must believe it and work it out indeed!
ReplyDeleteMarja: Thank you for your kind comment. Yes, we have to believe what the Bible says.
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