Hope ***updated***

This week I had the privilege of talking with M. at Joy Beyond the Cross.  I know many of you have had the opportunity to meet in person, but for me it was my first phone connection with someone I met online, and while my husband was skeptical, I assured him it would be fine.  And I was right.  M. was just a delight to talk with and I could have traded health stories and questions for hours.  I guess IF does that to you. 

Before we got off the phone, she shared a prayer request with me that has been on my mind ever since.  It's not my place to go into details, but I can share some of the hope that I've come across the past few days. I know there are alot of people that are really hurting.  IF does that to us and at times we seem to lose sight of hope, but I have seen hope in reading, Scripture, and music.

I came across this great quote in my women's devotional book the other day.  It's by Barbara Johnson- someone I'm not familiar with- but I thought it was incredible.  She said, "Hope is faith holding out its hand in the dark."

Wow!  That was so profound.  It really hit me. There are so many times in life when we are in a really dark place.  It takes all our energy and faith to just hold out our hand- to hope that we will come out of the dark, to hope that God will life us up, to hope that the light will one day shine again.  And so I guess that's one piece of encouragement to me when I'm in the really dark places- just hold out my hand in faith.  God will lift me up. That is hope.

Another thing that keeps running through my mind is from Romans 5:1-5 (NIV).  Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand.  And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God.  Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope.  And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.

I love that.  Hope does not disappoint us.  So we hold out our hand of faith in the dark because we have hope that things will improve, and hope doesn't let us down.
The last thing that has been giving me hope is Christian music.  There have been so many songs lately that have been speaking to me.  My ipod is becoming full of great songs that speak of healing, waiting, hope, and more.  Recently, I heard a song by Laura Story called "Blessings."  Here's some of the words.  I think they'll speak to you too.

We pray for blessings

We pray for peace

Comfort for family, protection while we sleep

We pray for healing, for prosperity

We pray for your mighty hand to ease our suffering

All the while, You hear each spoken need

Yet love us way too much to give us lesser things

Chorus: 'Cause what if your blessings come through raindrops

What if your healing comes through tears

What if a thousand sleepless nights

Are what it takes to know You're near

What if trials of life are Your mercies in disguise

We pray for wisdom

Your voice to hear

And we cry in anger when we cannot feel You near

We doubt Your goodness, we doubt Your love

As if every promise from Your Word is not enough

All the while, You hear each desperate plea

And long that we'd have faith to believe

Chorus

When friends betray us

When darkness seems to win

We know the pain reminds this heart

That this is not, this is not our home,

It's not our home

What if your healing comes through tears

And what if a thousand sleep nights

Are what it takes to know You're near

What if my greatest disappoinments

Or the aching of this life

Is the revealing of a greater thirst this world can't satisfy

And what if trials of this life

The rain, the storms, the hardest nights

Are your mercies in disguise

If you haven't heard the song, I encourage you to check it out.   Keep the faith ladies, even when the trial is so dark it seems there is no hope!