Hope Alive

Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise Him, my Savior and my God." Psalm 42:11...."Hope is hearing the melody of the future. Faith is to dance to it." Reuben Alves

Most believers, especially in these times, speak a great deal about hope in God. Yet, how deeply do we live in such hope each day? We are living in times that none have ever witnessed before. Media and politicians seem to be doing everything they can to dash our hope, no matter how determined we might be to live in it. What is the answer? We know we're to hope in our God, but in the midst of this present darkness, or any darkness, how do we do so?

Dutch Sheets, in his little book, "Tell Your Heart To Beat Again," wrote this;"The Old Testament word for hope means 'cord.' The root of the word means 'to bind together by twisting.' Hope connects. It braids us together with God." Think on that. Everywhere in His Word we're told to cling to Him, to follow hard after Him. The picture of this is to be so entwined with Him that we can't be seen apart from Him. All of ourselves hidden in all of Him, which will yield all of His grace and power in our lives and situations. Living this way requires a conscious choice on our part. That means that we're not hovering around the voices of a world that doesn't know Him. We can stay informed about what's going on around us, but we live saturated in His Word, constantly seeking His Presence, always listening for His voice and His leading. Binding ourselves to Him yields our having His heart and His mind. It is a deep connection that all the power of the darkness cannot break. Sheets says that difficulties always come with two plans; God's and the devil's. Which is active in your life?

How could the Psalmist live in such hope? He called the Father His God and His Savior. He knew Him as such. He'd experienced Him as that. We may have heard that He is Savior, Provider, Protector, and Healer. We believe that these are true. But are they true to us? Is He all of these to us? It is in this place that we learn His Word is a Living Word. Not just words we can hope on, but a Person we can hope in. Is He such to us today, in this time, in all times?

Sheets says that the process of God always involves night. We, His church, are in such a process now. He did not bring this virus, but He has a path for us through it, and it is meant to bring us out as a transformed people. A holy people. A whole people. In creation, God hovered over the darkness. He hovers over this present darkness, and He is working. Hope in Him, because the awakening dawn will come upon us, upon all who have been born into a living hope. A living hope given us by a Living Christ.

Blessings,
Pastor O