Scripture for Today: Lamentations 3:25-26 “The Lord is good to those whose hope is in Him, to the one who seeks Him.  It is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord.”

How does one picture “hope?”  The image of this barren ground calls to mind the idea of grief and despair.  It is dry, cracked and hard.  There is no expectation of growth or new life.  But somehow, hope springs up in the form of this tiny green plant.  There is a tomorrow after all.  What looks completely dead comes to life!

Today’s verse made me think of the sadness and confusion of the disciples.  They huddled together in fear and despair for three long days following Christ’s crucifixion.  They must have felt lost and abandoned.  Their hearts and spirits must have felt as dry as the ground pictured here.  Perhaps they felt their hope in Jesus as the Messiah was ill placed.  But it was not.  The Lord was good to those men crushed with grief.  However, they had to wait three days to see His salvation.

The whole concept of hope involves waiting for a promise to be fulfilled.  The word, “hope,” in Scripture denotes confident expectation of what is sure to come.  There are many promises in my life that are yet to come.  The Lord wants to shower His goodness on me when I wait quietly and with confidence.  The Lord is especially good to me as I earnestly seek His face in those hard times of waiting.  I am not sure if the disciples waited quietly and confidently during those three days.  But then again, I have trouble with waiting as well.

Lord, thank you for the sure hope I have in You!  Help me to wait patiently for Your help and salvation!