Devotions By Jan

Category Archives: Hope


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Hope

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!


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Papyrus

Scripture for Today:  Job 8:11-13 “Can papyrus grow where there is no marsh?  Can reeds thrive where there is no water?  While still growing and uncut, they wither more quickly than grass.  Such is the destiny of all who forget God; so perishes the hope of the godless.”

The papyrus reed had an important place in ancient cultures.  It was used to make a primitive form of paper.  Papyrus was used as early as 4000BC for writing.  Wherever the soil was damp, this reed could grow.  However, when the rains did not come, the soil would dry up and the reed would quickly die.  Without that water-soaked soil, the papyrus reed could not continue to thrive.

Our verse for today is spoken to Job by his friend, Bildad.  Job is experiencing acute suffering and he and his three friends are trying to understand the reason for it.  Bildad suggests that Job’s pain is the result of sin in his life.  That conclusion was incorrect, but Bildad’s description of the destiny of the godless is repeated throughout Scripture.  Those without the Lord have a hope that perishes.  It will not last as it is a flimsy hope without the Source of life-giving water.  The wicked thrive for a time, but forgetting God means their hope will perish with them.

Those who place their faith in Christ have a living hope that does not perish!  Unlike the wicked who forget God, believers do not rely on themselves, their riches or their own devises.  It is on Him and on Him only that we have set our hope! (II Cor. 1:9-10)

My hope will never perish because He has given me a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead! (I Peter 1:3)  I could not live without hope, and praise God, I do not have to!


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Wisteria

IMG_20140413_123137Scripture for Today: Hebrews 12:11 “No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful.  Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.”

Our neighbor’s wisteria below our Alsacian home is at its peak.  I can hardly tear my eyes away from it as it is so full.  It practically bends the fence with the weight of its blooms.  I do not remember it being quite this spectacular other years.  But I do remember seeing our neighbor pruning it, and this is the beautiful result.  However, not all wisteria vines flower well.  There is the story of a lady who after twenty years of fertilizing and pruning finally gave up on her wisteria.  She cut off the branches, poured gasoline on the trunk and burned it.  The plant started blooming the next spring and every year since!

I could not read that story without thinking of today’s verse.  The Lord does discipline and train His children.  Our Heavenly Father is perfect and so is His correction.  For the believer, judgement and punishment have been taken care of on the cross.  But we do need His loving discipline.  Although it is painful, it is always done for the goal of producing in us the beautiful blossoms of righteousness and peace.

Discipline can last a long time when I do not respond to His correction.  Thankfully, He never gives up on me, as did the woman in the story.  Of course, not all the suffering in my life is discipline.  But when repentance is called for, how much better that I quickly fall to my knees in humble confession!  What hope to know that what follows may be the most productive time of my life!

Thank you Lord, for producing in me Your peace and righteousness.

 


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Playgrounds

Scripture for Today:  Zechariah 8:4-5  “….Once again men and women of ripe old age will sit in the streets of Jerusalem, each of them with a cane in hand because of their age.  The city streets will be filled with boys and girls playing there.”

Probably if my Mother ever knew she would be horrified!  When I was very little, I used to play marbles in the middle of the street.  There was a manhole with grooves perfect for all kinds of creative play with marbles.  My friend and I lost a few, but it seemed a fun past time for two bored kids.  We did lots of looking over our shoulders for on-coming cars, but managed to survive the experience.  Thankfully, ours was the last street of a neighborhood so there was not much traffic.  Even so, the issue of safety did not concern us much.

Our verse for today is one of ten promises of blessing for the Jerusalem of the Messianic Age.  The description of peace and safety is beautiful and even idyllic.  There will be no more threats from invading enemies.  No longer will lives be cut short.  Children can once again play safely in the streets.  I love that the Lord concerns Himself with children and their quality of life.  Isaiah 11:6-9 also describes our future peace and safety with the image of children playing.  A little child will lead a lion, children will play near cobras and even a hand stuck in a viper’s nest will not come to any harm.  What a beautiful future belongs to children in a world without attack or disaster!

Imagine sending the children or grandchildren out to play without any worries!  I am so thankful for our loving Lord who does more than we can ever ask or imagine.


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The Dawn

Scripture for Today:  Psalm 112:4 “Even in the darkness light dawns for the upright, for the gracious and compassionate and righteous man.”

Trying to sleep on a transcontinental flight is always a challenge.  Sleep is cut short when someone lifts their shade after just a few hours to see the early dawn.  The proverb, “the darkest hour is just before the dawn” was first seen in print in 1650 written by theologian, Thomas Fuller.  I could never make that observation as I am the one always trying to sleep!  But I wonder if the inspiration behind that proverb came from this verse.

Often in Scripture darkness represents calamity and light represents well being.  No one is exempt from dark times.  Regardless of education, wealth, health or status, we all face some kind of crisis or suffering.  But for the believer, there is a dawn coming!  For the one made righteous through Christ, there is hope.

The Lord is first and foremost my Light (Psalm 27:10).  He is the loving Source of all that is positive in my life! (James 1:17)  When everything seems dark and awful and hopeless, I can still see that small glimmer in the distance.  I know He is there.  As I seek His face the Light of his love grows stronger and stronger.  Before long, the darkness dissipates and the dawn has arrived.  With the dawning realization of His love and presence, I feel His warmth and light and I am reassured.

There is another meaning to the dawn; our eternal home.  It is still on the horizon, but with every year it approaches.  And it is full of light.  There will be no need for any sun, moon or lamp as the Lord Himself will be our light!

Thank you, Lord, that You are my Light and my Hope.