This past week we started our new series: Hurt, Hard Times and Hope. The thing I love about this title and the series as a whole is that it leads to something. You look at the title and you can focus on hurt and hard time and feel the weight of those words but once you look at the word hope, you know it is leading you somewhere. Without hope we have nothing to look forward to. We are stuck in darkness. But that is why our God is a God of hope! We need to look to him and continue moving forward. I learned this first hand with my recent problems with my health. The moment I decided to live in God’s strength is when I noticed a drastic change. Too often we try to live in our the hope of ourselves. That will lead us nowhere! God is our hope, our strength and salvation.
This Sunday there will be a song performed called “My Hope” off of Matt Redman’s latest album. You will recognize some of the lyrics from the hymn “The Solid Rock”. I want to encourage you to take just a few minutes out of your busy lives and meditate on these lyrics. Some of you may not want to do this because you can’t see the hope beyond the hurt and hard times. We need to take those moments of “selah” to recenter ourselves and make sure we have open eyes to see the glory of the hope of God! Please pray for God to reveal his hope to you.
“My Hope”
My hope is built on nothing less
Than Jesus’ blood and righteousness
I dare not trust the sweetest frame
But wholly live on Jesus’ name
When the mountains are falling
When the waters are rising
I shall be safe in You
Though the nations are quaking
Every kingdom be shaking
Still I will rest in You
When darkness seems to hide Your face
I rest in Your unchanging grace
In every high and stormy gale
My anchor holds within the veil.
When the mountains are falling
When the waters are rising
I shall be safe in You
Though the nations are quaking
Every kingdom be shaking
Still I will rest in You
