Hope - 2020 Words to Refresh the Soul

I pray to GOD - my life a prayer -
and wait for what He'll say and do.

Psalm 130:5 The Message

The Living Bible uses these words ~ I wait expectantly, trusting God for help, for He has promised. When we wait expectantly, that is called hope! In A Long Obedience in the Same Direction Eugene Peterson writes this about Psalm 130 and hope:

Hoping . . . means going about our assigned tasks, confident that God will provide the meaning and the conclusions. . . It is the opposite of desperate and panicky manipulations, of scurrying and worrying.

[Hope] is imagination put in the harness of faith . . . a willingness to let God do it His way and in His time.

Is it our lack of trusting in God's faithful promises or our cynicism towards hope that binds us to despair? Do we worry more about not being able to control circumstances than confidently going about our assigned tasks? Allowing God to work in His way and in His time often requires us to wait. By studying the Scriptures and through prayer, our relationship with God grows; our understanding of His character increases. In His presence we find a peace within the uncertainty; we are embraced by His comfort through the waiting. We must wait expectantly on God ~ the One who is Faithful, who is Promise, who is HOPE! 

Gracious LORD,

I come to the altar shouting praise for

all the blessings in my life. You are the Light

that writes the words of my soul-song. It is

You that gives my heart its desires. You are Hope!

Faithful Father, I am God-strong; my blessings

abundantly exceed my needs. Creator, gather the

details of my life, take Your holy threads and weave

a tapestry of Your design. . . You transcend all

circumstances, expose all evil, reveal all love but

never measure Grace. I am God-strengthened! ~dho