Now is the time... To Hope

…my hope will go down with me to the grave. We will rest together in the dust. Job 17:16

What hopes do you have for this new year? Are you carrying hopes yet unfulfilled from the old year into the new? I hope you are because that means you haven’t given up hope of those things coming to pass.

Job refused to let go of his hope, in spite of being severely tested. He determined to hold onto it and, as he put it, take it with him ‘to the grave’. Those were the words of a wise man, one who trusted God and refused to be defeated. Proverbs 13:12 says ‘Hope deferred makes the heart sick’, and it surely can if we let go of our hope, if we refuse to trust in the faithfulness of God.

Speaking of Abraham Romans 4:18 says ‘Who against hope believed in hope, that he might become the father of many nations, according to that which was spoken.’ There was absolutely no human basis for Abraham to hope that he might become a father or Sarah a mother. For more than 20 years he had to totally rely on God’s promise to him before their promised son was born.

In 1 Corinthians 13:13 we are told that there are three things that will last forever, they are faith, hope and love. Hope is something that will last forever; therefore it is something worth holding on to. A person without hope is a sad person indeed. However our hope needs to be based on the right foundation.

Heading into this new year there are many reasons for people to loose hope, with the economy in downturn mode, people losing their jobs, families falling apart, loved ones diagnosed with serious illness, and seemingly unsolvable problems of famine and war in various countries.
If we look too long at these things we can lose hope.

Perhaps you are facing a mountain of difficulty right now. Don’t let go of your hope. King Jehoshaphat found himself faced with enemy invasion. He knew that his resources were not sufficient to fight such a huge army so he prayed, “We are powerless against this mighty army that is about to attack us. We do not know what to do, but we are looking to you for help” (2 Chronicles 20:12). Jehoshaphat’s hope was in the Lord God Almighty and that is where our hope needs to rest too. Too often we live our lives in our own strength and God has to bring us back to the place where we have to trust him and him alone, because our lives are to be lived on a level above the normal. We have been born to a living hope (1 Peter 1:3) and that hope is through faith. Encourage yourself in God’s word today by reading 1 Peter chapter 1.

Prayer: Father God, refresh in me the gift of faith as I begin this new year. May my eyes always be on you, in the good times and in difficulties. You are my hope and my strong tower. Thank you for your unfailing patience and kindness toward me. Amen

Now is the time... To Live Life

My purpose is to give life in all its fullness. John 10:10

I have decided to continue the theme of “Now is the time….” into this new year because this moment, now, is all we can ever be assured of having. We have ‘now’ to live; to praise God, to love others, to extend forgiveness, to be kind and thoughtful, to persevere when we feel like quitting, to stir up our gifts, to change direction, to do today what we have been putting off….. the list is endless. We have this moment to live life to the full.

Perhaps you are feeling that you have failed to accomplish anything, or made little progress in your life this past year; I have good news for you, God is the God of new beginnings. Every day we can have a fresh start. Lamentations 3:23 says “Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each day: (NLT). If he is merciful towards you each day then surely you can be merciful to yourself. What do I mean? I mean that often the thing that prevents us from making a new start is our unwillingness to forgive ourselves, learn from our mistakes and believe that with God’s help, we can go on.

Nothing, I repeat, nothing, not one thing is beyond God’s mercy if your heart is set on following and trusting him. No situation you face is beyond his ability to help and change it – unless you refuse to believe and trust in him. He is the God of the impossible. Impossible is only relative to our humanity, it is not beyond God’s realm of possibility. I sometimes think that we only think things are impossible because we don’t really want to change them or see them change. We get comfortable in our ‘mess’. To step out and step up is uncomfortable so we avoid making the decision to change and make anyone or anything but ourselves the excuse for not living life to its fullest.

As we face this year let us count each moment as a precious gift and live it with a thankful and believing heart. If we can do that I believe we will accomplish much. NOW is the time to start whatever we have been putting off, avoiding or just plain refusing to do. Believe in God, believe in yourself. Believe that you can do whatever he asks you to do. Believe that God’s word is your authority and standard for life and live according to its truth. “My child, never forget the things I have taught you. Store my commands in your heart, for they will give you a long and satisfying life.” Proverbs 3:1-2.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank you for this moment in time that you have given me. Thank you for the love you shower upon me right now. Thank you for the gifts you have given me to bless others with and accomplish your purposes for me on this earth. Show me whatever I need to do to make the most of my “nows” this year. Amen