I am happy to report that I am back this morning, coffee cup in hand, and ready to share what the Lord has put on my heart.
Hope.
As situations and circumstances seem to get more intense, the hopes of good people seem to be waning. For some, discouragement and complacency have replaced optimism and high expectations.
Hope will fade if it isn’t placed in the right source. There’s an old hymn that I used to sing in Sunday night service and it goes like this: “My hope is built on nothing less, than Jesus’ blood and righteousness. I dare not trust the sweetest frame but wholly lean on Jesus’ name. On Christ the solid rock I stand, all other ground is sinking sand. All other ground is sinking sand.”
Building Hope.
This song was written in 1834 by a man who was born into a life of poverty in London. His situation seemed hopeless. No expectations for a future any greater than that of his parents but then someone introduced him to Jesus and things changed.
“For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.” Jeremiah 29:11 NLT
Misplaced hope crumbles but as the words of the song say, “On Christ the solid rock I stand, all other ground is sinking sand”. Those were Jesus’ very words to his disciples. He was teaching them where to place their hope.
“Anyone who listens to my teaching and follows it is wise, like a person who builds a house on solid rock. 25 Though the rain comes in torrents and the floodwaters rise and the winds beat against that house, it won’t collapse because it is built on bedrock. 26 But anyone who hears my teaching and doesn’t obey it is foolish, like a person who builds a house on sand. 27 When the rains and floods come and the winds beat against that house, it will collapse with a mighty crash.” Matthew 7:24-27 NLT
Hope is built on the Rock!
Building hope is like constructing a home, one brick upon another. Let me share just a few verses, building blocks, from Psalms.
“May integrity and honesty protect me, for I put my hope in you.” Psalm 25:21 NLT
“So be strong and courageous, all you who put your hope in the Lord!” Psalm 31:24 NLT
“We put our hope in the Lord. He is our help and our shield.” Psalm 33:20 NLT
“And so, Lord, where do I put my hope? My only hope is in you.” Psalm 39:7 NLT
“And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love.” Romans 5:5 NLT
The author of the hymn, The Solid Rock, Edward Mote was confident of the hope found in Christ alone. King David, who wrote most of the book of Psalms, knew to hope in God. The Apostle Paul, who delivered God’s message of grace and unconditional love, built his hope on the foundation of God’s promises.
“I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit.” Romans 15:13 NLT
That’s my prayer for you. In building hope, we find joy and peace!