Prayer – Lord, fill me Your hope, joy and peace—but most of all please give an extra measure of hope to those who are struggling with loss—whether it is the loss of a spouse, parent, child, or their job, home, or a dear friend. You must have felt a loss, Jesus, when You were living on earth—at least that of Your stepfather, Joseph. I imagine that the loss of relationships and the rejection of many of the Jews was very disappointing for You. I put my hope in You, Lord. Life happens so fast. Ten…twenty years go by in just the blink of an eye. Help us to find our hope in You…and to share it with others. You are the Hope, as well as the Way, the Truth, and the Life. Thank you for giving us so much to live for.
I said to myself, "I will watch what I do and not sin in what I say. I will hold my tongue when the ungodly are around me." But as I stood there in silence—not even speaking of good things—the turmoil within me grew worse. The more I thought about it, the hotter I got, igniting a fire of words: "LORD, remind me how brief my time on earth will be. Remind me that my days are numbered—how fleeting my life is. You have made my life no longer than the width of my hand. My entire lifetime is just a moment to you; at best, each of us is but a breath." We are merely moving shadows, and all our busy rushing ends in nothing. We heap up wealth, not knowing who will spend it. And so, Lord, where do I put my hope? My only hope is in you. Rescue me from my rebellion. Do not let fools mock me. I am silent before you; I won't say a word, for my punishment is from you. But please stop striking me! I am exhausted by the blows from your hand. When you discipline us for our sins, you consume like a moth what is precious to us. Each of us is but a breath. Hear my prayer, O LORD! Listen to my cries for help! Don't ignore my tears. For I am your guest—a traveler passing through, as my ancestors were before me. Leave me alone so I can smile again before I am gone and exist no more. Psalm 39:1-13
Meditate. Consider Hope.
We gather stuff for the first half of our lives…and then we
try to get rid of it during the second half of our lives.
"Everything
is meaningless," says the Teacher (King David’s son, Solomon), "completely
meaningless!" What do people get for all their hard work under the sun?
Generations come and generations go, but the earth never changes. The sun rises
and the sun sets, then hurries around to rise again. The wind blows south, and
then turns north. Around and around it goes, blowing in circles. Rivers run
into the sea, but the sea is never full. Then the water returns again to the
rivers and flows out again to the sea. Everything is wearisome beyond
description. No matter how much we see, we are never satisfied. No matter how
much we hear, we are not content. Ecclesiastes 1:2-8
There are some who are suffering so deeply—no peace—no joy—no
hope. This is expressed by Jeremiah in the book of Lamentations.
Peace has
been stripped away, and I have forgotten what prosperity is. I cry out,
"My splendor is gone! Everything I had hoped for from the LORD is
lost!" The thought of my suffering and homelessness is bitter beyond
words. I will never forget this awful time, as I grieve over my loss. Yet I
still dare to hope when I remember this: The faithful love of the LORD never
ends! His mercies never cease. Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin
afresh each morning. I say to myself, "The LORD is my inheritance;
therefore, I will hope in him!" The LORD is good to those who depend on
him, to those who search for him. So it is good to wait quietly for salvation
from the LORD. Lamentations 3:17-26
Great is His Faithfulness
His mercy and love are new every morning.
What gives our life meaning? I think it is the hope that we have in the Lord. Like David, we may see ourselves as rebellious—but when we focus our lives on the Lord, He rescues us from our rebellion—and from the meaninglessness of life. Hope is a wonderful thing. It gets me out of bed some mornings—when I’d rather just stay in the warm covers and dream. Our hope comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth. I choose to continually put my hope in the Lord because of His faithful love that is new every morning.
Verse of Salvation ~ Now all glory to God, who is able to keep you from falling away and will bring you with great joy into his glorious presence without a single fault. All glory to him who alone is God, our Savior through Jesus Christ our Lord. All glory, majesty, power, and authority are his before all time, and in the present, and beyond all time! Amen. Jude 1:24-25
Memory Verse of the Week ~ You are the light of the world—like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden. Matthew 5:14
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Parenting Day By Day - Daily Devotional for
Building Character
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| Do coins give you hope? No one can serve two masters. For you will hate one and love the other; you will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money. Matthew 6:24 |
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