Today’s Reflection
Of course, it’s easy to feel hopeful when things are going our way; when the boss is happy and the children are behaving; when you feel God is smiling on you. Anyone can hope for continued sunshine on a day without clouds. But for Christians, hope empowers us to trust that we’ll survive the days that are dark. Hope is not only about planning for the future, although it is that. It is also about remembering the past and reminding ourselves that just as God has been with us before, so shall God remain, whether or not our “hopes” are met to our satisfaction.
—Amy Lyles Wilson, in Hope: It’s More Than Wishful Thinking, compiled and introduced by Amy Lyles Wilson (Fresh Air Books, 2010)
Today’s Question
What does it look like for you to practice hope and trust on dark days? Join the conversation.
Today’s Scripture
Why are you cast down, O my soul,
and why are you disquieted within me?
Hope in God; for I shall again praise him,
my help and my God.
—Psalm 42:11 (NRSV)
Prayer for the Week
New every morning is your love, great God of light, and all day long you are working for good in the world. Stir up in us desire to serve you, to live peacefully with our neighbors and all your creation, and to devote each day to your Son, our Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.
Submit your prayer to The Upper Room.
Something More
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Lectionary Readings
(Courtesy of Vanderbilt Divinity Library)
Looking for lectionary-based resources? Learn more about The Upper Room Disciplines.
3 Comments
I am trying to do this now. I am terrified! So I think about my past…I have always survived….and I have survived some brutal times….so , I have to believe that somehow I will survive again.
Megan and I had a wonderful time at the Pennns Colony festival. She was thrilled that the soup vendor was there and she got her chicken noodle soup, finally. I was thrilled that the stone hearth baker was there and Megan and I got loaves plus they sell warm slices with apple butter (me) or smoked bacon with bacon fat (Megan). We strolled and bought many different things. I even bought socks (alpaca) and gloves (sheep fleece) that will h elp with my Reynaud’s.
Prayers for Ally and David, for help with finances and help with forgiveness. Prayers for Jill as she continues to increase her activity and for Roger’s health. Prayers for Lou and her family. Prayers for Robert, may he find the warm memories of the weekend carry him forward as he continues to work on his models and his counseling. Prayers for Marti and her staff.
Thank you for your prayers and may God bless all who visit here.
A big AMEN! to this.
What it looks like to me is recalling the true meaning of lament which requires that the lamenter always gets to the point of reflecting on God’s faithfulness and claiming it as absolute truth, regardless of how the circumstances seem.
And even if it grows bleaker and God seems non-existent – He is still good. And I shall praise Him.
This became cemented in my mind during mom’s struggle and I committed myself to never getting to that point of despair. When I read back to back books on lament which both emphasized the same thing in Scripture – Lamentations 3 – I committed to the symbol in the ancient Hebrew…to the point where I got a very small tattoo on the inside of my left wrist the summer after my mom passed. So – if I were to ever get close to despairing, I only need to look down and see they symbol – a Hebrew letter – and ask God to help me grasp on to hope.
“But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope. The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases. His mercies never come to an end. They are new every morning. Great is Thy faithfulness. ‘The Lord is my portion’ says my soul. ‘Therefore I have hope in Him.’ The Lord is good to those who wait for Him, to the person who seeks Him. It is good to wait silently for the salvation of the Lord.”
Our hope should be for the design He has for us. Too often I cry out for what I believe to be best for me. But only He knows. And it takes a lot of effort on my part to get past that and to humbly say – “Father – You know what is best. My hope is in You. Thy will be done.”
Both of you, Julie and Jill, surely know what hope is. Thank you for your posts. I believe and thus I have hope. God has been with me through tough times and I believe God will be there through this fall and winter as Erich and I try to resolve a big problem. For his future he needs to be where he can access the necessities of life on foot.
My weekend at the railroad historical society convention was fabulous, visited places where I once lived, saw old friends, was in the train station that was my train watching HQ, and had good weather while there.. 15 years ago in that very station my modeling began when I saw what was possible and became a CVRHS member. Thank You, Lord, I was even in my first church.
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