history and hope

Saturday, March 10, 2018 (5:55 a.m.)

Blessed, Holy God,

Thank You. Thank You for the way You watch over us. Thank You for Your presence in our lives. Thank You that You allow us all of our emotions.

Thank You that we get to trust You. Hope in You. Choose You.

Thank You that Your Word provides us with history. And hope. Mm. Yes. History and hope.

I get to sit here, reading Your Word. Honestly feeling like I am snuggling deep into You. Breathing slowly. Resting. Hoping.

And the source of this rest and hope? You. Your Word. Particularly the prophet Jeremiah’s book of Lamentations.

Holy God, thank You that upon waking earlier this morning I was keenly aware of silence. I immediately noticed the lack of any particular song singing itself to me and quickly scrambled to find one.

♪For God so loved the world the world He gave His only Son, That whosoever would believe in Him, Would not perish, but would have everlasting life, Everlasting life♪

Even singing it now brings a smile to my face and a settling to my heart. Father, You are so very good to us. ♪Our God loves us, So He gave us, Our God gave us J-E-S-U-S, Oh, Our God loves us, So He gave us, Everlasting life♪

Thank You, Father. Thank You for Your love. Thank You for Your faithfulness. Thank You that even when we resemble Jeremiah’s feelings of being 'heartbroken, weary, discouraged and completely undone' there is still an opportunity for hope.

Mm, yes. Blessed God how good You are to have provided us Your Son on Whom to build our hope. Yes! And here comes another song.

♪My hope is built on nothing less Than Jesus’ blood and righteousness… On Christ, the Solid Rock, I stand; All other ground is sinking sand♪

Father, thank You. As You are introducing me to the idea of lamenting I thank You for the contentment that is filling my being.

Jeremiah wept as he reviewed the history of Jerusalem’s destruction and his own misery and suffering. “I remember them well. And I am very sad. But I have hope when I think of this: The Lord’s mercy never ends. His mercies never stop. They are new every morning. Lord, Your loyalty is great. I say to myself, ‘The Lord is what I have left. So I have hope.’” (Lamentations 3:20-24).

Blessed Lord God, thank You for the history and the hope we have in You. Every single moment of every single day. Let me use them to Your liking. I love You. I thank You. Amen.

(448 words ~ 12:20 p.m.)