Psalm 42:11
Why are you downcast, O my soul? Put your hope in God, for
I will yet praise Him, my Savior and my God.
Psalm
71:4-5
Deliver me, O my God, from the hand of the wicked, from
the grasp of evil and cruel men. For you have been my hope, O
Sovereign Lord. My confidence since my youth.
Psalm
146:5-6
Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope
is in the Lord his God, the Maker of heaven and earth, the
sea, and everything in them. The Lord, who remains faithful
forever.
Romans
4:18
Against all hope…Abraham in hope believed and so became
the father of many nations….He did not waver through
unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in
his faith and gave glory to God, being fully persuaded that
God had power to do what He had promised.
Psalm
31:23-24
Love the Lord, all His saints! The Lord preserves the
faithful…. Be strong and take heart, all you who hope in the
Lord.
Jeremiah
17:7-8
Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose
confidence is in Him. He will be like a tree planted by the
water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear
when heat comes. Its leaves are always green. It has no
worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit.
Psalm
33:18-22
The eyes of the Lord are on those who fear Him, on those
whose hope is in His unfailing love…… We wait in hope for
the Lord. He is our help and our shield. In Him our hearts
rejoice, for we trust in His holy name. May Your unfailing
love rest upon us, O Lord, even as we put our hope in You.
Hebrews
6:19
We have this hope as an anchor for our soul,
firm and secure.
The
Solid Rock
a hymn by
William Bradbury
My
hope is built on nothing less
than Jesus' blood and righteousness.
I dare not trust the sweetest frame,
But wholly lean on Jesus' name.
When
darkness veils His lovely face,
I rest on His unchanging grace.
In every high and stormy gale,
My anchor holds within the vale.
His oath, His
covenant, His blood
Support me in the whelming flood.
When all around my soul gives way
He then is all my hope and stay.
When He shall come with trumpet sound,
O may I then in Him be found.
Dressed in His righteousness alone,
Faultless to stand before the throne.
***On Christ
the solid Rock I stand
All other ground is sinking sand.
All other ground is sinking sand.
**********
Sometimes
life seems laden with storms. Darkness hovers as we deal with
disappointments, suffering, and death. Lightning strikes fear
in our hearts and rain pounds like uncontrollable tears. When
we are in the middle of a storm we can attempt to
independently steer our ship. We then attempt to independently
foster courage and strength. But how blessed are we when we
trust God and turn the helm over to Him, believing His
promises of joy, believing He will heal and restore life,
believing He will turn our mourning into dancing. When we give
the helm to God our fears subside.
We are blessed
with His light and His gifts as He helps us through those
storms of life, encouraging us to face those storms with
courage, restoring our faith so that we can believe a new life
awaits us at the end of the storm.
Our hearts praise the Lord, offering thanks. We do not live in
fear of the storm. We live through the storm. As the storm
ends, a brilliant light beckons us to love and peace. The Lord
teaches us how to sail our ship for He is there sailing with
us.
from Lenten
Reflections by Carolyn Buckley
All
scripture taken from the Holy Bible, The New International
Version, Zondervan Bible Publishers and The Living Bible,
Tyndale House Publishers.
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