Easter has been a time for renewed hope. How are we reminded of hope and how do we hold on to hope now that Easter has come and gone? The sunrise that begins each new day can be a reminder for us that Jesus, God’s Son has risen. I have been reflecting over this Easter season about where my reasons for hope lie. Consider the Scripture, “ Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for He who promised is faithful. (Hebrews 10:23) I have found that when I look for hope in circumstances, then I am disappointed. If I am waiting for prayers to be answered and for things that are wrong to be set right then hope is always in the distance. The way that hope comes right to my front door is for me to look for my hope in Jesus. He is able to give me hope if my hope is depending on Him. Hope is not empty. Hope is not just wishing for things to get better. Hope that is centered in Jesus affirms that God is powerful and able. The same God who raised Jesus from the dead can certainly respond to whatever it is in our lives that cries out for hope. Our hope really does involve us choosing to trust God and to be looking actively for what He is doing. All around us now the persistent evidence of spring gives us hope. Every time we see a sign of spring, we can think of it as a sign of hope, our hope in God. Remember the song, “I Believe”: I believe for every drop of rain that falls, a flower grows. I believe that somewhere in the darkest night, a candle glows. I believe for everyone who goes astray, someone will come to show the way. I believe, I believe. I believe above a storm the smallest prayer, can still be heard. I believe that Someone in the great somewhere, hears every word. Every time I hear a new born baby cry, or touch a leaf or see the sky. Then I know why, I believe. All of these examples can be reminders of times to affirm our hope in God and our choice to believe and have faith in Him. Tomorrow, April 7th at 1 pm, we will remind ourselves of the reasons that we believe and place our hope in God as we join for our WEDNESDAY PRAYER TOGETHER.
Praying for us as we hold on to our hope in God Who is ever and always faithful, Pastor Lola
Our God we continue to thank You for the hope of Easter that we carry with us into every new day. Thank You that our hope in Jesus and what He has done for us is a resource that is secure and lasting. Jesus, hope in You does not wear out or run out. You know all the reasons in our lives right now that we need to find our hope in You. When we strive for hope in other places or try to resolve things with our limited ability, draw us back to You, we pray. We recognize today that You have given us countless reminders of why we believe in You. You keep on allowing us to understand more fully what it means to hope in You. God the falling of the spring rain does result in beautiful flowers growing. We believe this and find hope in You. God even in the darkest of nights there is still light, sometimes only a small brave candle. We believe this and find hope in You. Thank You God that when we or those we pray for do lose our way and go astray that You send someone to guide us back to Your way. We believe this and find hope. And yes God, we are convinced that even above the storms of our lives You hear our faintest prayers. Every prayer is received by You. We believe this and find hope. Thank You for the exquisite gifts of newborn babies and the intricate design of each leaf that forms and Your wonders written for us in the skies. All of these give us reason to believe and to find hope in You. We turn to You now in prayer for those who right at this moment are struggling to find hope. You know each one by name and know their personal situations. Please send them reminders of Yourself and reasons to keep holding on to hope and faith in You. Allow us the sensitivity to notice and care about those who long for hope today and every day. You have been grace filled with us and we pray that our grace filled love and patience toward others would give them cause for hope in You. Thank You that the celebration of Easter has reignited in us the warmth of hope. We want to carry this hope with us for the days ahead whatever is to come. God we are praying that we really will hold unswervingly to our hope in You. You have promised that we can trust You and that our hope in You can endure. God because You are faithful and have promised that our hope is eternal we believe and respond with our gratitude. Thank You God that Jesus is our everlasting reason for hope. We offer this prayer of faith believing You in Jesus’ Name. AMEN.