I can’t believe that I’m already two months into this blog and still haven’t used this Scripture. It speaks to me so strongly that I made it the vision for my own life a few years ago, so don’t be surprised if it pops up here more than once or twice.

Not going to say much about this today, because the Scripture itself presents such a vivid picture, such a contrast of two different ways to live our lives.

The questions today: Who do you trust? Where are you living?
The answers to those questions make all the difference in how much hope is in your life.

This is what the LORD says:
“Cursed are those who put their trust in mere humans,
   who rely on human strength
   and turn their hearts away from the LORD.
They are like stunted shrubs in the desert,
   with no hope for the future.
They will live in the barren wilderness,
   in an uninhabited salty land.

“But blessed are those who trust in the LORD
   and have made the LORD their hope and confidence.
They are like trees planted along a riverbank,
   with roots that reach deep into the water.
Such trees are not bothered by the heat
   or worried by long months of drought.
Their leaves stay green,
   and they never stop producing fruit.”

Do you want to be unbothered by the heat, not worried by long droughts, always evergreen, always bearing fruit?

Scripture: Jeremiah 17:5-8 (NLT)

8:30 a.m.

Whew. I just came from the furnace room. I’ve been trying to clean up the water faster than it’s coming into the basement. Just trying to stay ahead of it. From our hilltop, the valley below looks like a series of lakes. The creek has broken its boundaries and fields are flooded. The thunder didn’t wake me last night, but I did hear the pounding of the rain.

It’s dark back there in the furnace room, even with a light overhead.

Took a break. Needed a cup of coffee. The sun is shining! Really…I see sunbeams.

Anyone else standing at my kitchen window right now would probably think I’m crazy. The clouds are still there. It’s a gray, drowned, soggy morning. Most eyes wouldn’t, couldn’t see any hint of sunshine.

But my eyes just came from the furnace room. And yes, I definitely see sunlight.

Hope is like that. Hope has eyes that can look through what seems impenetrable, beyond what seems impossible, into another dimension of our world.　

TWO HOURS LATER…

Here’s something interesting: I’m no longer seeing those rays of sunshine. No, I don’t think the skies have changed much in the last few hours. But I haven’t been back in the dark furnace room battling the invading water, either.

Are those who are most in need of hope the ones who understand it best? Are those who have experienced the darkest times the ones who have eyes to see the rays of light?

 King David, who saw so much anguish and trouble in his life, is also one who writes most eloquently about hope. In the midst of all his troubles, he repeats with certainty that all of his hopes rest with God, God’s love always surrounds His people, God knows the hopes of the helpless and comforts them, God shelters His people and never abandons them.

A question for you. Can you believe what the Bible says? Will you believe what the Bible says? (OK, so maybe that’s two questions.) If you say Yes to those questions, then start reading, knowing that this is God’s word to you, His child, and listen for His assurances, for His promises to you, for His love and comfort.

It doesn’t matter what specific thing you’re desperately needing today—whether it’s strength to get through a tough situation, hope for a relationship shipwrecked by conflict, healing for your own heart, reassurance from the Father—God knows your hopes. He knows what you need. He’s already given you His word. His love surrounds you.

From the book of Lamentations (most appropriately named!):

The faithful love of the LORD never ends!
   His mercies never cease.
Great is his faithfulness;
   his mercies begin afresh each morning.

If you believe this, then depend on Him. Search for Him. And…

Scripture: Lamentations 3:19-23,25 (NLT), Romans 15:13 (NIV)

There’s a good reason for the phrase “the troubles of Job.” The Biblical character of Job is a prime example of a good person suffering terrible things for an unknown reason.

Job is described as “perfect” and “upright,” yet God allowed disasters to rob him of his wealth, all his children, and his health. Even Job’s wife told him it was useless to hold on; her suggestion was that Job might as well give up; just curse God and die, she says. Encouraging woman, no?

If you’ve ever tried to put Job’s situation into modern terms, it creates a dismally bleak picture. Here’s what it would look like:

You’ve got the American Dream. Your business has done exceptionally well, and you’ve got enough stashed away so that you’ll never have to work again. Your family is happy and thriving. Your life seems charmed. You’ve got it made.

Then world unrest takes its toll and your business shrinks to a trickle. The stock market plunges, and your retirement kitty is suddenly gone. Suddenly, you’re faced with having to go back to work just to buy groceries, plus you haven’t been feeling well lately. One Sunday morning, your home burns to the ground while you’re at church; nothing is saved. The next week, your family is killed in a car crash. On the day of the funerals, your doctor gives you the results of your test; you have a disease that will slowly incapacitate you.

So … there is nothing left of your life or what you thought was your future. (Except a spouse who says you might as well give up and die.) Wouldn’t you be wondering why God is allowing all of this? Wouldn’t you be wondering why He doesn’t intervene? Wouldn’t you be wondering if He cares what’s happening? Might you be wondering if there even IS a God?

And Job?  He didn’t understand what was going on, either. But his response was “Even if God kills me, I’ll trust Him.”

Where does such trust and hope come from? Is it blind and foolish and misplaced?

Very few of us have gone through as much heartache as Job; yet, there is much that troubles our lives, many situations that look hopeless, heavy burdens under which we strain and stumble.

The psalmist says, again and again and again, God alone is our hope. He is our only help. He is the only one who can rescue us. He always loves us; always trust in him. And in spite of all the psalmist’s talk about enemies attacking and possibly killing him, friends deserting him, his weariness and wandering, his sadness and troubles, he says,

Let all that I am wait quietly before God,
   for my hope is in him.
He alone is my rock and my salvation,
   my fortress where I will not be shaken.

I ask again, what’s the source of such hope? Job had his troubles, the most drastic that can befall any man or woman. We have our own troubles; large or small, they bring anguish to our lives. How is it possible to say so emphatically, I will not be shaken?

Thoughts on that, coming next week.

Scripture: Psalm 62:5-6 (NLT)

A guest post today, by Lana Turner:

Ezekiel 37 has been one of my favorite passages for the past two years. It starts out…

The hand of the Lord was on me, and he brought me out by the Spirit of the Lord and set me in the middle of a valley; it was full of bones. He led me back and forth among them, and I saw a great many bones on the floor of the valley, bones that were very dry. He asked me, “Son of man, can these bones live?”

I know God was talking about Israel, but I began to take this personally. I saw God taking my hand and walking with me and leading me through the valley of dry bones in my life…the mistakes I had made, the desert times when I was wandering and didn’t know where I was going. I began to cry, as it was so powerful and the spirit of the Lord was upon me.

“Can you make these bones live?” He asks. Ezekiel answers, “Sovereign Lord, you alone know.” God then told Ezekiel to prophesy to the dry bones to hear the Word of the Lord and He would breathe into them and make them come to life.

I felt that God was telling me, Lana, pray over these dry bones, let them hear the Word of the Lord. I believed that God was telling me He would breathe new life into them. All the things I lost due to bad decisions, not following the Lord’s guidance, and doing things my way He could renew. He could breathe new life into those dry bones and then I would know without a shadow of a doubt that He is the Lord.

Every time I read this scripture I cry. It must be the Lord talking to me. Part of my tears are due to the fact that He loves me unconditionally in spite of all my dry bones and continues to want to breathe new life into me.

My hope is not gone. His spirit is within me and He will settle me in my own land. In other words, He will bring me peace and joy and will give me what the locusts have eaten. Then I will know that He has done it and He is Lord!!

I was wrong.

In a post last week, I said that the writer of Psalm 25 knew nothing about the hope we have today. I was thinking, of course, that our knowledge of God and our hopes are now based on Christ’s life, teachings, death, and resurrection. Our relationship with God is quite different than what the Old Testament characters experienced.

So I was preparing for this next post, which was going to take a look at exactly what it is that Christians hope for. I thought I’d start with New Testament Scriptures; that seemed a natural place to go. Instead, I ended up reading Psalm 23. (Yes, I really believe that the Spirit directs our reading and study.)

And there it was! A neat little outline of everything we hope for. Exactly the points I was going to make. Yes, the writer penned this long before Christ lived, and we today see everything through the lens of our relationship with Christ. But this Psalm wraps it all up, in beautiful imagery, covering all of life. That must be the reason Psalm 23 is so well loved by people everywhere, in every age. In a few short verses, it is everything we hope for, everything that God has for His children.

I was asked the question, “What do Christians hope for?”  That pushed me to verbalize the hopes I have. How would you answer the question?  Here’s my list:

* God knows what we need and provides for His children.
* The Spirit of God lives in us, guiding and protecting our lives.
* Jesus Christ is alive today and always with us.
* We’re in good standing with God.
* We have a life with God, after this life is over.

Those are the things I believe God will do and does for His children. I base all my hopes on this.

People have called such ideas preposterous, simplistic, ignorant, absurd, silly, ridiculous, and even fanatic and bizarre. Yes, I guess that’s how such statements will sound, if you do not believe.

Here is Psalm 23, everything Christians hope for. I’m quoting a version slightly different than the well-known King James. This may lose some of the musical quality for some of you, but I think reading it in a different version also helps us to think about it more carefully:

The LORD is my shepherd;
   I have all that I need.
He lets me rest in green meadows;
   he leads me beside peaceful streams.
   He renews my strength.
He guides me along right paths,
   bringing honor to his name.
Even when I walk
   through the darkest valley,
I will not be afraid,
   for you are close beside me.
Your rod and your staff
   protect and comfort me.
You prepare a feast for me
   in the presence of my enemies.
You honor me by anointing my head with oil.
   My cup overflows with blessings.
Surely your goodness and unfailing love will pursue me
   all the days of my life,
and I will live in the house of the LORD forever.

Scripture:  Psalm 23 (NLT)