As the rain and snow

“Then came one of the rulers of the synagogue, Jairus, and seeing [Jesus], he fell at his feet and implored him earnestly, saying, ‘My little daughter is at the point of death. Come and lay your hands on her, so that she may be made well and live.’ And he went with him.

“A great crowd followed him and thronged about him. There was a woman who had had a discharge of blood for twelve years… She had heard reports about Jesus and came up behind him in the crowd and touched his garment.  For she said, ‘If I touch even his garments, I will be made well.’ And immediately… she felt in her body that she was healed. Jesus, perceiving in himself that power had gone out from him, immediately turned about in the crowd and said, ‘Who touched my garments?..’ The woman, knowing what had happened to her, came and fell down before him and told him the whole truth.  He said to her, ‘Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace, and be healed of your disease.’

“While he was still speaking, there came from the ruler’s house some who said, ‘Your daughter is dead…’  But overhearing what they said, Jesus said to the ruler of the synagogue, ‘Do not fear, only believe…’ They came to the house.., and Jesus saw a commotion, people weeping and wailing loudly…  He took the child’s father and mother and those who were with him and went in where the child was. Taking her by the hand he said to her, ‘Little girl, I say to you, arise.’ And immediately the girl got up and began walking (for she was twelve years of age), and they were overcome with amazement.” Mark 5:22-25,27-30,33-36,38,40b-42

He was just a man, but He was different. Jesus was sought out because He had an authority they recognized but couldn’t explain, compassion and healing power that were beyond natural, and irresistible. Crowds thronged to watch, individuals bowed and reached to make contact. Just one touch, whether they Him, or He them, and everything could change and be made right. (Mark 1:27; 2:12; 4:41)

In the pressing crowd of everyday life, there are many places that need healing. Relationships have rifts, attitudes sour, and filters on what we watch and say shake loose. We suffer pain in illness and strain in business. How often, when we have real needs, do we flit from person to place to possible solution and skirt around Jesus? Do we just watch from a distance? Is He a last resort, or even considered?

There is nothing like the personal touch of Jesus. We grab His feet and beg, and He goes with us. We touch His garment in the hope of faith, and His power flows out. His hand on our brow fevered with worry and fear, and over our still heart, revives and makes whole.

When will I reach to Jesus for specific healing? Of mindset, spirit, body? Will I pick up and open His word for wisdom, understanding, guidance, comfort, and cheer? What areas of my life will I make available for His healing, transforming, or renewing touch?

And how might I touch another for good? When I cannot be present, how might loving words, encouragement, or prayers bouy a flagging soul? Whom will I beg Jesus to restore?

Lord, hold and lift me, and touch others through me.

“The angel of the Lord came and sat under the terebinth at Ophrah, which belonged to Joash, while his son Gideon was beating out wheat in the winepress to hide it from the Midianites. [He] appeared to him and said, ‘The Lord is with you, O mighty man of valor.’ And Gideon said to him, ‘Please, my lord, if the Lord is with us, why then has all this happened to us? And where are all his wonderful deeds that our fathers recounted to us, saying, “Did not the Lord bring us up from Egypt?” But now the Lord has forsaken us and given us into the hand of Midian.’ And the Lord turned to him and said, ‘Go in this might of yours and save Israel from the hand of Midian; do not I send you?’ And he said to him, ‘Please, Lord, how can I save Israel? Behold, my clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father’s house…’

“Then Gideon perceived that he was the angel of the Lord. [He] said, ‘Alas, O Lord God! For now I have seen the angel of the Lord face to face.’ But the Lord said to him, ‘Peace be to you. Do not fear; you shall not die.’ Then Gideon built an altar there to the Lord and called it, The Lord Is Peace.”  Judges 6:11-15,22-24a

Israel was under suffocating, destructive oppression from the Midianites, and God’s favor seemed a distant reality. When the angel appeared to the earnest, hard-working Gideon, his message was hard to understand. ‘The LORD with us? Then why these seven years of unrelenting, merciless opposition?’ His reply turns Gideon’s supposition upside down. ‘Go and save Israel. I’m sending you and I will be with you.’ Gideon rose from the weight of his circumstances to look God in the face. (Judges 6:1-10)

That was the message: ‘Lift your eyes! I am the Lord, I am sending you, I will be with you. Focus no further on all the small what-ifs and whys. I give you might and peace. You are not forsaken, but rather, favored and called as a man of valor for a great deliverance.’

When circumstances are grim, the Lord is with us. When the enemy cuts off hope and seems to deplete us of sustenance and joy, the Lord is with us. When we’re called to tasks larger than our abilities, the Lord is with us. When we’re threatened and attacked for faithful obedience to God, the Lord is with us. Instead of looking at our hard situations and wondering why and how, we can look to Jehovah Shalom who is with us always. From where is God calling me today to see Him anew? He’s designing the big picture. Looking to Jesus transforms how we see our troubles in a magnificent way. (Judges 6:25-30)

“O soul, are you weary and troubled?
No light in the darkness you see?
There’s light for a look at the Savior,
And life more abundant and free!
Turn your eyes upon Jesus,
Look full in His wonderful face,
And the things of earth will grow strangely dim,
In the light of His glory and grace.” ~Helen Howarth Lemmell (1922)

Lord, clothe me with Your Spirit, that I may wholly trust your presence with me. Help me, without question and with confidence, to live out Your purposes and bear forth Your glory. (Judges 6:34)

“The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord:  ‘Arise, and go down to the potter’s house, and there I will let you hear my words.’ So I went down to the potter’s house, and there he was working at his wheel. And the vessel he was making of clay was spoiled in the potter’s hand, and he reworked it into another vessel, as it seemed good to the potter to do.

“Then the word of the Lord came to me: ‘O house of Israel, can I not do with you as this potter has done? declares the Lord. Behold, like the clay in the potter’s hand, so are you in my hand, O house of Israel. If at any time I declare concerning a nation or a kingdom, that I will pluck up and break down and destroy it, and if that nation, concerning which I have spoken, turns from its evil, I will relent of the disaster that I intended to do to it. And if at any time I declare concerning a nation or a kingdom that I will build and plant it, ¹and if it does evil in my sight, not listening to my voice, then I will relent of the good that I had intended to do to it.  Now, therefore, say to the men of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem: “Thus says the Lord, Behold, I am shaping disaster against you and devising a plan against you. Return, every one from his evil way, and amend your ways and your deeds.”’

“But they say, ‘That is in vain! We will follow our own plans, and will every one act according to the stubbornness of his evil heart…’

“My people have forgotten me;
    they make offerings to false gods;
they made them stumble in their ways,
    in the ancient roads,
and to walk into side roads,
    not the highway.” Jeremiah 18:1-12,15

The Lord gives vivid visuals to His prophet Jeremiah to illustrate His heart for redemption. To watch a potter knead and press and shape clay on a wheel is to understand the loving, purifying, caring hands of the Artist. It was God’s good plan to rework and redeem His people; He would ultimately send His Son Jesus to make it eternally possible. Though he may buck and chafe and resist, man, made from clay, is ever clay in the Creator’s hand. (Galatians 3:13; Titus 2:14)

What spoils us is our stubborn penchant to go our own evil way, to turn from the God who made us for Himself. We worship false gods of intellect, health, productivity, family, and luxury. We must be king in control, and fashion our plans and listen only selectively to God’s voice as it suits our desires. We stray to side roads of compromise in confidences, integrity, and biblical principles. (Genesis 2:7; 3:19)

All the while, the Master Potter is itching to get His hands on us. In love, He lets us choose our path and direction, and stands ready to return us to the wheel for reworking when we return to Him. Will we amend our ways and yield?

What impurities need removing? How might the Lord knead harsh words and hard attitudes into softer, more grace-filled ones? Where can self-righteousness, stubbornness, and pride be reformed into humble servanthood?

Lord, have Your full way with me. Work me into a vessel for honored use in Your kingdom and for Your glory. (Romans 9:21)

“[RIghteousness] will be counted to us who believe in him who raised from the dead Jesus our Lord, who was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification. Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God.” Romans 4:24-5:2

“And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:7

“The Lord bless you and keep you;
the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you;
the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.” Numbers 6:24-26

The early palette is pale blues and greens, grass and firs and maples framing the grey green water, blue hills beyond. The only pop is the red rubber ball of low sun, splashing splotches of sparkles like a skipping stone as the milky sky, tinted faintly pink, pulls it up. Loons congregate on the velvet lake, occasionally submerging for a breakfast bite or taking off in flapping rhythmic slaps along the surface. All else is silent. A majestic heron soars from its perch in needled limbs above shore, gracing wide strong wings in fluid motion. Every pore soaks in peace.

Man gnaws for peace in the brawl of life, yet seldom takes the effort and time to soak it in. We carry war in our hearts towards people and circumstances, and wield weaponry of blame and offense without conviction. We nurse secret sins and habits that erode our hearts, yet fail to bring them into the light to be cleansed and healed. We say ‘peace, peace’ where there is no peace, playing a charade with inner angst, unable to convince ourselves, and others. On our own, we are troubled by inner turmoil and cannot seem to escape it. We may even try manmade substances to procure it. What is true in our salvation never makes its home in our hearts, and we are the worse and miserable for not reckoning it our own. (Jeremiah 6:14)

Christ Jesus has made peace for our souls in the excruciating agony of the cross, yet we pretend He has not fully forgiven, that it is not finished. The Prince of Peace is ever-present, ruling in serene control, unflappable in His governing of all things, but we keep Him at bay, preferring to manage ourselves into busy and frenzy and fretting about the future. It is the enemy’s way to keep us questioning the goodness and sufficiency of God, but we know the trick and should be alert to his conniving. (Genesis 3:1-4; John 19:30; 1 Peter 5:8)

Weary soul, when will you come to rest? What need we set aside, forever, to appropriate what is true about Christ’s finished work and abiding Holy Spirit of peace? He has overcome the frenetic world, He has reconciled enemies to be friends. When will we pause to soak in these truths and allow them to permeate every part of us? His peace makes a difference in all aspects of life. (John 14:27; 16:33; Ephesians 2:13-17)

Lord, fill me with Your incomprehensible peace so I might think clearly, behave wisely, speak calmly, and spread abroad the fruit of Your peace to those I encounter. (Galatians 5:22-23)

“From there they went against the inhabitants of Debir. The name of Debir was formerly Kiriath-sepher.  And Caleb said, ‘He who attacks Kiriath-sepher and captures it, I will give him Achsah my daughter for a wife.’ And Othniel the son of Kenaz, Caleb’s younger brother, captured it. And he gave him Achsah his daughter for a wife. When she came to him, she urged him to ask her father for a field. And she dismounted from her donkey, and Caleb said to her, ‘What do you want?’ She said to him, ‘Give me a blessing. Since you have set me in the land of the Negeb, give me also springs of water.’ And Caleb gave her the upper springs and the lower springs.” Judges 1:11-15

Caleb’s daughter had learned under a father who was brave and zealous with faith. What God had promised He would not only give, but He would supply for His people all they needed to make the most of that gift. Now it was her time to request the “also” in order to capitalize on the land allotted to her, and she boldly did so. Land is good, and springs provide the water necessary to make them fruitful. (Numbers 13:17-30)

We have been given much by way of health, dwelling, and work, but when we hum along with a horizontal mindset, we can grow complacent about making the most of what has been entrusted to us. We skim by. We do the minimal. We have no vision for flourishing, no drive to multiply, and limited desire for sharing or passing on.

But the Lord has made us to make more and the most of what we have. He gives ten talents and expects ten more. He’s fashioned us with specific abilities and resources not to rest on or hoard them, but to engage the Spirit’s power to put them to work. Our faithfulness and well-doing brings greater responsibility and great joy. (Matthew 25:14-29)

Where have I settled for mediocrity? Where am I languishing in fervor, or turned inward and selfish in my choices and activities? Has greed overtaken generosity, sloth swallowed servanthood, or pampering replaced purposefulness? What will urge me to ask my Father for different and more? (Romans 12:11)

What specific treasure has God entrusted to me? Would I regularly take inventory, then open my hands and say, ‘Lord, give me also springs so these might be put to most productive, God-honoring use’? The Spirit waters us with counsel, spiritual wisdom, and power to make the most of who He’s made us to be. His welling up in us flourishes forth in abundant, benevolent living. He supplies love and grace for relationships, discernment and vitality for industry, passion and focus for service. (John 7:38-39)

What is it we lack? Will we ask for His blessing of springs?

Father, You have entrusted me with much. Please give me also springs of courage, fortitude, zeal, and energy to be an honorable steward, that You are glorified and Your goodness is known.

“But a man named Ananias, with his wife Sapphira, sold a piece of property, and with his wife’s knowledge he kept back for himself some of the proceeds and brought only a part of it and laid it at the apostles’ feet. But Peter said, ‘Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and to keep back for yourself part of the proceeds of the land? While it remained unsold, did it not remain your own? And after it was sold, was it not at your disposal? Why is it that you have contrived this deed in your heart? You have not lied to man but to God.’ When Ananias heard these words, he fell down and breathed his last. And great fear came upon all who heard of it. The young men rose and wrapped him up and carried him out and buried him.

“After an interval of about three hours his wife came in, not knowing what had happened. And Peter said to her, ‘Tell me whether you sold the land for so much.’ And she said, ‘Yes, for so much.’ But Peter said to her, ‘How is it that you have agreed together to test the Spirit of the Lord? Behold, the feet of those who have buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out.’ Immediately she fell down at his feet and breathed her last.” Acts 5:1-10a

Contrive: To plan with cleverness or ingenuity; devise. To invent or fabricate, especially by improvisation. To plan with evil intent; scheme.

The account of this couple carries several lessons, but a superficial reading affords none of them. Our Lord is deeply interested in our hearts, knowing that from them stem our actions and words, so He includes this story to warn of motives that meander from His sway. We must dig beneath the surface in both our reading and applying to get the gold. Begin with the “But…” (Luke 6:45)

The preceding paragraph tells of the growing early church’s unity of heart and soul, and God’s great grace being poured out in abundance with results of lavish generosity. What Ananias and Sapphira actually did was not condemnable as much as how they made their decision and carried it out. They had at their disposal the full amount they owned, as had the other believers, but their motives and actions stood in stark contrast. Peter discerned that Ananias had lied to the Holy Spirit and God after contriving with his wife to pretend they had made a lesser amount. They agreed to be dishonest and hold back some of their proceeds, putting on airs of righteous generosity like the others had displayed, while inwardly hoarding selfishness. (Acts 4:32-37)

The consequence for Ananias was death, and without knowing her partner in deception had died, Sapphira fell to the same grave judgment. Lying, making light of God’s omniscience, attempting to deceive the Lord, and putting on appearances because we fear man more than God, are an affront to His holiness, and will not be tolerated.

Where has my clever planning been tainted by greed and self-promotion, and strayed from biblical principles? What habits need to be reconsidered and corrected before the penetrating light of God’s word?

Father, bring my every plan under holy scrutiny and purify my secret motives. May all I do and say align with godly integrity and truth.

“Joshua gathered all the tribes of Israel to Shechem and summoned the elders, the heads, the judges, and the officers of Israel. And they presented themselves before God. And Joshua said to all the people, ‘Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, “Long ago, your fathers lived beyond the Euphrates,.. and they served other gods. Then I took your father Abraham from beyond the River and led him through all the land of Canaan, and made his offspring many. I gave him Isaac. And to Isaac I gave Jacob and Esau. And I gave Esau the hill country of Seir to possess, but Jacob and his children went down to Egypt. And I sent Moses and Aaron, and I plagued Egypt with what I did in the midst of it, and afterward I brought you out.

“‘”Then I brought your fathers out of Egypt, and you came to the sea. And the Egyptians pursued your fathers with chariots and horsemen to the Red Sea.  The Lord… put darkness between you and the Egyptians and made the sea come upon them and cover them; and your eyes saw what I did in Egypt. And you lived in the wilderness a long time. Then I brought you to the land of the Amorites, who lived on the other side of the Jordan. They fought with you, and I gave them into your hand, and you took possession of their land… 

“‘”I sent the hornet before you, which drove them out before you… I gave you a land on which you had not labored and cities that you had not built, and you dwell in them. You eat the fruit of vineyards and olive orchards that you did not plant.” Now therefore fear the Lord and serve him in sincerity and in faithfulness.'” Joshua 24:1-8a,12-14a

The rosy round sun beckons through the open window, drawing me out from cozy to greet the brisk morning. Days are longer here in the north woods- it is still hours before others will rise. The fiery pink orb casts its long reflection on the lined liquid fabric of the lake, reminding me my lines have fallen in pleasant places. (Psalm 16:5-6)

Before his death, Joshua reminded the Israelites of God’s line of faithfulness through the generations to them. He traced His initial promise when calling Abraham to make him a great nation and give them a land, to His fulfillment where all the tribes gathered in the promised Canaan. Surely they had taken possession of their delightful inheritance, with hope for the eternal one God kept for His own. (Genesis 12:1-3; Hebrews 11:8-13)

How has God’s providential hand shaped and enriched our lives? Do I take moments in the early, and pause in my frenetic days long enough, to see, savor, and thank Him for His faithfulness through my setting out and settling in, my battles, victories, and fruitfulness?

Will I respond in kind to Almighty God’s faithfulness to me? No matter the spots and knots through the years, God’s good purpose prevails for His children, His life in us still beats. His eye is on us, His arms underneath, His hold secure. How faithful are we in return to fear and serve and follow Him? (Deuteronomy 33:27; Psalm 139:5-10; Proverbs 19:21; John 10:28-29)

Faithful God of generations, may I faithfully be and influence for You a people for Your name, praise and glory. (Jeremiah 13:11)

“[Jesus spoke] another parable, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field, but while his men were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat and went away.  So when the plants came up and bore grain, then the weeds appeared also. And the servants of the master of the house came and said to him, “Master, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have weeds?” He said to them, “An enemy has done this.” So the servants said to him, “Then do you want us to go and gather them?”  But he said, “No, lest in gathering the weeds you root up the wheat along with them. Let both grow together until the harvest, and at harvest time I will tell the reapers, ‘Gather the weeds first and bind them in bundles to be burned, but gather the wheat into my barn.’”’” Matthew 13:24-30

At first glance, it seems a prudent request to uproot the weeds that have infiltrated the good crop. After all, they would steal some of the soil’s nourishment, and likely weaken the wheat meant to grow healthy for harvest. But the Master who sees the big picture has a broader understanding of what has happened and why. He knows that weeds come from the enemy, but he also knows how the presence of enemy opposition helps the strong grow stronger.

We might be tempted to remove from our lives people who do not share our beliefs and goals, near-sightedly thinking they will hinder our maturity and sanctification. We are to grow up in Christ, but not to separate ourselves from those unlike us. We are to grow together, living godly lives among them. We are not to become like them, but neither are we to excuse complacency or apathy against growing spiritually because of them. It is by living alongside them that we can grow into all the Lord intends us to be as we are chiseled and honed and forced to dig deep and remain true. He uses weeds to refine faith, shape character, and develop resolve to maturity. And when we are faithful to our identity, sometimes they grow to see in us who Christ is. (Ephesians 4:13-16)

We must remember, as both wheat and weeds spring from the same soil, all men are made in God’s image, and we as Christians are not superior to those who know not Jesus. We are different, and follow different gods. The Lord God is the final and perfect judge. He holds each one accountable and executes righteous judgment in the end. (Genesis 1:26-28; Romans 14:10,11; James 4:12)

Have we by choice isolated ourselves into a bubble of like people, and thus stunted our growth? Have we grown nit-picky, haughty, or catty? Do we value certain individuals more than others, and play preferences in our regular company and workplace? What weeds has the Lord allowed to grow alongside us, and are we thriving as His children, or making complaint and excuse? How are we influencing and making a difference through behavior, conversation, or specific acts of love and compassion?

Lord, keep it my aim to grow up in You in all my life places. Keep me faithful and vibrant and true to You, to the end.

“When the Son of Man comes in his glory,.. he will sit on his glorious throne. Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats… Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’ Then the righteous will answer, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’

“Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.’ Then they also will answer, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to you?’  He will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.’” Matthew 25:31-32,34-45

When faced with a comment or assessment we do not understand, it is natural to wonder and want an explanation. The humble and selfless really do not take notice of their deeds, and so can be uncomfortable with any kind of commendation. When faced with a judgment we do not want to hear, we can be differently uncomfortable, and defensive, and want to justify ourselves. We live at the fore, every offense is personal, and because we are so touchy, we try to excuse our deeds into acceptance. Jesus says what is real and true no matter how His statements are received. Our reaction reveals our genuine motivation.

If we are focused on nourishing, visiting, caring and tending, we’ll be so absorbed in extending the hands and heart of Jesus we’ll ask only, “When did we?” We’ll go about God’s will in the power and intent of the Spirit, not asking details or trying to earn credit. Our very self-forgetfulness, stemming from an innate passion to serve and glorify God, honors Him in the doing. (Acts 1:6-8)

But when our motives are impure, our generosity measured only by practicality or favoritism, and our good works limited to what garners applause, we displease our Lord. Our reward, if any, is merely temporal. (Matthew 6:2-4)

For whom do I go about my daily duties and service? Whose honor and repute do I seek to exalt?

Lord, may all I do be for the blessing of You and the benefit of others.

“Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob,
    whose hope is in the Lord his God,
who made heaven and earth,
    the sea, and all that is in them,
who keeps faith forever.” Psalm 146:5-6

“The Lord takes pleasure in those who fear him,
    in those who hope in his steadfast love.” Psalm 147:11

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.” 1 Peter 1:3-5

There is something intrinsic in actual hoping that blesses the one who hopes. The soul fixed on Christ and His promises bounds in joyous anticipation for all that is and will be. And our hope blesses God the Father and the Lord Jesus, who cause and sustain that hope in us. Blessed be Him, blessed be us, for what Christ has won!

Imagine God taking pleasure in us because we delight in all He is, and all He assures will come. His hope penetrates every difficulty, every sadness, every unmet need, connecting present to future in inextricable assurance. He does immeasurably more than we ask or imagine, promising every spiritual blessing in our Savior now and forever. Whatever our lack, or longing, He is enough! (Ephesians 1:3,11-14; 3:20)

“Are there any among the false gods of the nations that can bring rain?
    Or can the heavens give showers?
Are you not he, O Lord our God?
    We set our hope on you,
    for you do all these things.” Jeremiah 14:22

Who is vying for our heart’s devotion? Whose unfulfilled promises have left us disappointed? Whose advice has fallen flat, sour, or destructive? Hope in the Lord!

“For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.” 2 Corinthians 4:17-18

What impossibles confront us today? In relationships, work or financial or health situations? Would we turn our eyes from these to hope in the Lord?

“My hope is in the Lord
Who gave Himself for me,
And paid the price of all my sin
At Calvary.

And now for me he stands
Before the Father’s throne,
He shows His wounded hands,
And names me as His own.

For me He died,
For me He lives,
And everlasting
Life and light
He freely gives.” ~Norman Clayton (1945)

What can we do this day to extricate our hope from things, institutions, and people of this world, and secure it forever in the only One worthy of our trust? What meaningless allegiances distract us from Him and the divine pledge of His word? Would today be the day we choose to bless God by hoping anew, and sharing that hope with another?

“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.” Romans 15:13

May He fill us all that we abound. Amen.