Tag Archive | hope

WAIT!!!!!!!!?

Jul25

I wait for the Lord, my soul does wait, And in His word do I hope. My soul waits for the Lord More than the watchmen for the morning; Indeed, more than the watchmen for the morning. — Psalm 130:5-6

Wait. . . Wait . . . Wait . . .

That is a four letter word to us today. No one likes to wait. We look for the shortest line in the grocery store. When we ring the bell for service we want someone to answer that bell right away. When we sit in the doctor’s office waiting room we keep looking at our watches, or cell phones, to see how much they are running behind. We just don’t like to wait. It is an inconvenience. We are always in a hurry. To go where???

In our hurried lifestyle today we miss out on a lot. We don’t take the time to really listen and notice our children. They are just an added burden to the hurried lifestyle. We can’t seem to find a smile to share with someone as they hurriedly pass us by. We don’t notice God’s awesome creation — new life in the Spring, the beautiful blue sky and green grass of Summer, the colors of Fall and the pure white of Winter snow or the bare trees awaiting Spring. There is that “wait” again. The trees waiting for the blooms of Spring to dress them again. We tend to half listen to conversations we have with others and then wonder why communication is the biggest problem in relationships.

The biggest communication problem today is the lack of hearing the voice of God. We are too much in a hurry to spend time waiting on the Lord. Yet when we do wait upon the Lord we can hear His still small voice of direction, encouragement, love. My hope for the future is found in the waiting room of the Lord. He is my hope. He is my direction into the future. He guides my steps and my ways. Without Him I am merely walking blindly into the future with no direction or encouragement.

Take time to wait on the Lord. He is so worth it. Hope for the future and peace for the present.

Continually seeking Him,

Sharon

Hope For The Future

Jul24

“There is hope for your future,” declares the Lord, “And your children will return to their own territory. — Jeremiah 31:17

I believe there is no greater joy than when you see the years of prayer you put in for your children begin to be answered.

My husband and I have often discussed how we were not the best parents but did the best we could — most of the time. We both believe it is by grace that our children managed to survive our rearing of them. I thank God that He is perfect and loves my children more than I could ever love them.

All our children have reached adulthood, despite their parents, and have not always followed our advice and counsel nor that of the Lord. They have wandered out into the world and made mistakes — but haven’t we all. In my 21 months away from my family I focused a lot on praying for my husband and kids, many times on my knees crying out on their behalf. My children were introduced to Jesus, all making a profession of faith, and then wandered into the world without Christ. It has just been recently that I see the miracle transformation taking place in all of them and I am ecstatic.

Rebellion from attending church has been turned into faithful consistent attendance. Never seeing them open the Word of God to asking where their Bible is, and seeing them reading it. Finding one in prayer and meditation with an open Bible. Alienation from church and Christians to a desire to fellowship.

The point of this is that my ever faithful God, in His perfect timing is answering my prayers and my tears are now tears of joy. Thank You Lord God for listening and for answering. Thank You for what You are doing in the lives of my children. May You continue to be glorified in their transformation. There is hope for my future and theirs.

Continually seeking Him,

Sharon

Fountain of Living Water

Jul20

O Lord, the hope of Israel, All who forsake You will be put to shame. Those who turn away on earth will be written down, Because they have forsaken the fountain of living water, even the Lord. — Jeremiah 17:13
How blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob, Whose hope is in the Lord his God, — Psalm 146:5

Hope in the Lord does not bring about shame. He is a trustworthy God who will not forsake His own. Turn to the Lord, the living water, from whom we are quenched. God loves us and desires us to do His will for the benefit of our souls and for His glory. He will not let us down. He will not forsake us so do not forsake Him. Turn to Jesus for the help to face each day, to know the freedom from sin only He can give, and to experience peace in a world of chaos. He so longs to show you all the hidden treasures of wisdom and knowledge that is Jesus Christ Himself.

Seek out the Lord Jesus Christ — by reading His Word, talking to a friend who knows Jesus, going to a church that proclaims the Good News of Jesus Christ and/or talking to Jesus by prayer. He is listening. Open your heart to receive all He has planned for you. He is your hope!

Continually seeking Him,

Sharon

Hope in the Living God

Jul19

I wait for the Lord, my soul does wait, And in His word do I hope. — Psalm 130:5
Sustain me according to Your word, that I may live; And do not let me be ashamed of my hope. — Psalm 119:116
So God has given both his promise and his oath. These two things are unchangeable because it is impossible for God to lie. Therefore, we who have fled to him for refuge can have great confidence as we hold to the hope that lies before us. — Hebrews 6:18

My hope is in the living God. By His Word I am sustained so that I may live in hope. In trusting God and His promises I will not be ashamed of my hope because my God speaks the truth in His Holy Word. It is impossible for Him to lie so I can put my complete trust in Him, find refuge in Him and in Him I have great confidence to hold to the hope of a future. A future designed by God for His purpose. I shall live and not be ashamed of my hope because I know my Lord and I am confident that He has my future in hand. He is my hope, and His Word is my stay. I shall trust in Him. I shall hope in Him.

Continually seeking Him,

Sharon

Hope

Jul17

O Israel, hope in the Lord; For with the Lord there is lovingkindness, And with Him is abundant redemption. Psalm 130:7

Praise God for His gracious lovingkindness. In that lovingkindess toward His creation He has sent redemption to His people; He has ordained His covenant forever; Holy and awesome is His name. (Psalm 111:9) He has sent His redemption through Jesus Christ. In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace (Ephesians 1:7)

Oh how thankful I am that my God is rich in grace forgiving me of all unrighteousness for the sake of Jesus His Son. I am grateful each day for the price Christ paid on my behalf and the joy of walking with Him and the hope that is found in the Lord. Have you received redemption? Are you experiencing a close, intimate relationship with the great Son of God? Do you have hope in the Lord? Jesus is the way, truth and life. Faith in Him will give you hope.

But as for me, I will hope continually, And will praise You yet more and more. Psalm 71:14

Continually seeking Him,

Sharon

Overflowing Hope

Jul6

May God, the source of hope, fill you with joy and peace through your faith in him. Then you will overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. — Romans 15:13(GW)

Are you lacking hope? Are you missing the source? Do you know Jesus as your personal Savior and Lord?

“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him. — John 3:16-17 Jesus is our Savior, the giver of eternal life, to everyone who believes in Him.

For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, — 1 Corinthians 15:3-4 Belief that Jesus died for our sins, was buried and God raised Him from death.

That belief is faith. Through our continued living faith, God fills us with joy and peace. Is your life filled with joy and peace? Most faces I see and pass by daily don’t show it, so I wonder how many people really are experiencing joy and peace in their lives. That raises two thoughts in my mind. The first, do they know Jesus? Really know Him? Second, am I living out my faith that others can see it?

If we are living our faith out with joy and peace then we should be overflowing with hope by the living power of the Holy Spirit in our lives. What would you say is the level of hope in our world today? Is that overflowing hope present in our lives? Is it impacting our corner of the world? What can we do to bring hope to the hopeless?

Let us evaluate our faith. Let us seek Jesus through faith and experience the joy and peace that will, by the power of the Holy Spirit, overflow our lives with hope for ourselves and others.

Continually seeking Him,

Sharon

Be Still, Cease Striving

Jun18

“Cease (let go, relax) striving and know that I am God; — Psalm 46:10 NASB
“Be still, and know that I am God! — Psalm 46:10 NLT

As I enter into a new season of life, transitioning from a caretaker of my parents to being back home with my husband after 21 months, I find myself in limbo. I know that God has a plan for me but in the meantime what do I do with myself? I have always worked outside the home so do I go and look for a job? Is that what God wants me to do? Where do I even begin to look for a job? I have things that will keep me busy at home as I return my home back to a feminine touch from the bachelor pad it has become. My heart is ministry and would love to do that full time although I know that I can still work and minister. So many thoughts and ideas going through my head. Then there is the mourning of leaving behind the friendships I made over the past two years, not to mention my Mother who has been left in the hands of my brothers. Often guilt arises and questions as to whether I’ve done the right thing. Questions, confusion, lost, distress. Where do I turn? Where do I go from here?

Be still, my child. Cease striving. Relax. Let go.

Let go of the struggles, the to-do list, feelings of oppression, inadequacies, sin, failures, turmoil, trials, and others allowing God to do His work in you. “Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.* This is what the Sovereign Lord, the Holy One of Israel, says: “Only in returning to me and resting in me will you be saved. In quietness and confidence is your strength.^

Wait patiently. That is hard to do. It has been my experience that God leads where He wants me to go. I wait on Him and divine appointments happen that open doors to employment, places to live, provisions, etc. It is not the norm for most people. They tend to believe you need to pursue, which is done without the counsel or guidance of God. I seek Him first then by the guidance of the Lord I pursue where He leads. I waited patiently for the Lord; And He inclined to me and heard my cry.+ Rest in the Lord and wait patiently for Him;< My soul, wait in silence for God only, For my hope is from Him.~>

I can relax in the presence of the Lord and be restored. Waiting in His silence I am strengthened by the hope that is found in Him. When I surrender all to Him he blesses me beyond all I can imagine, meeting my every need, directing my every step. He becomes my direction, my strength, my hope, my all. That is where I want to be. I am renewed.

“Now Lord, You are releasing Your bond-servant to depart in peace, According to Your word; — Luke 2:29

Continually seeking Him,

Sharon

 

*Matthew 11:28-29
^Isaiah 30:15
+Psalm 40:1
~Psalm 62:5

Conviction

Jun11

To sum up, all of you be harmonious, sympathetic, brotherly, kindhearted, and humble in spirit; not returning evil for evil or insult for insult, but giving a blessing instead; for you were called for the very purpose that you might inherit a blessing.strong>For,
“The one who desires life, to love and see good days, Must keep his tongue from evil and his lips from speaking deceit. “He must turn away from evil and do good; He must seek peace and pursue it. “For the eyes of the Lord are toward the righteous, And His ears attend to their prayer, But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.” Who is there to harm you if you prove zealous for what is good? But even if you should suffer for the sake of righteousness, you are blessed. And do not fear their intimidation, and do not be troubled, but sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence; and keep a good conscience so that in the thing in which you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ will be put to shame. For it is better, if God should will it so, that you suffer for doing what is right rather than for doing what is wrong. — 1 Peter 3:8-17

Wow, what conviction when I read this. In the heat of the moment, when insulted, blamed, evil being flung at you, are you harmonious, sympathetic, brotherly, kindhearted, and humble in spirit? My reaction is usually opposite of this. I allow their intimidation and become troubled deep within my soul.

What I need is to sanctify Christ as Lord in my heart so I may turn away from evil. With Him I am able to keep a good conscience so that in the thing in which I am slandered, those who revile my good behavior in Christ will be put to shame. For it is better to be riled for doing what is right than doing what is wrong.

Jesus suffered and died for us. Can we not hold our tongue and uphold our Lord? We must seek and pursue peace whatever the cost. So be a blessing and be blessed. “For the eyes of the Lord are toward the righteous, And His ears attend to their prayer,”.

Continually seeking Him,

Sharon

Bitterness

Jun9

I remember my affliction and my wandering, the bitterness and the gall. I well remember them, and my soul is downcast within me. Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope: Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. I say to myself, “The Lord is my portion; therefore I will wait for him.” — Lamentations 3:19-24

Have you ever experienced bitterness? That something that is hard to bear, distressing, painful, grieving your soul that brings the taste of bitterness? Remember lest that bitterness turns to fierce, cruel, ruthless, relentless or hostile bitterness, that there is hope.

This is our hope: “Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for His compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness.”

God has a plan and sometimes that plan doesn’t sit well with us causing bitterness. Take your bitterness to the Lord. His compassions never fail. He is faithful. Trust Him and wait on Him. He is our portion. He is all we need and the answer to all our woes and bitterness. He will renew you with His faithfulness and compassion every new day. Praise the Lord God Almighty.

Continually seeking Him,

Sharon

Hope, In God or Riches?

May28

My soul waits in silence for God only; From Him is my salvation. 2 He only is my rock and my salvation, My stronghold; I shall not be greatly shaken. — Psalm 62:1-2

My soul waits in silence for God only. In silence. Quietness to hear the still small voice of the Lord. To be filled with the peace of God that comes in the silence of my prayer closet. He is my rock and salvation, my stronghold.

My soul, wait in silence for God only, For my hope is from Him. 6 He only is my rock and my salvation, My stronghold; I shall not be shaken. — Psalm 62:5-6

Addressing my soul, I say, “wait in silence for God only”. He is my hope, my rock and salvation, my stronghold, my refuge, my strength.

7 On God my salvation and my glory rest; The rock of my strength, my refuge is in God. 8 Trust in Him at all times, O people; Pour out your heart before Him; God is a refuge for us. Selah. — Psalm 62:7-8

On Him alone rest my salvation and glory. I shall not be shaken! I shall trust Him at ALL times and pour out my heart before Him in prayer.

If riches increase, do not set your heart upon them. — Psalm 62:10b
He who trusts in his riches will fall, But the righteous will flourish like the green leaf. — Proverbs 11:28

Where is your trust today?

Continually seeking Him,

Sharon