Tag: hope

News Alert (3 of 3)

~ Barbara ~ 4 Comments

Current Headlines

  • Israel has warned that Hamas in Palestinian territories, as well as Iran, is likely to take advantage of the Ramadan season to start another violent uprising. 
  • Senate passes $460 billion package to fund the government
  • Putin warns the West that Russia is ready for nuclear war
  • FBI director warns of ‘very dangerous threats’ at border, smuggling network with ‘ISIS ties’
  • US-funded report issues urgent AI warning of ‘uncontrollable’ systems turning on humans

How do these headlines make you feel? Worried? Anxious? Powerless?

The God who is all-powerful is not wringing His hands or searching for plan B. Psalm 2 tells us He sees nations conspiring and people plotting but is neither worried nor anxious. Actually,

The One enthroned in heaven laughs;
the Lord scoffs at them (verse 4).

If we are impressed by weapons and armies, stymied by governmental decisions, frustrated by our inability to change things, we are looking for power in the wrong places. Psalm 33 corrects our vision:

No king is saved by the size of his army;
    no warrior escapes by his great strength.
A horse is a vain hope for deliverance;
    despite all its great strength it cannot save.

It is not a vast military or strong defenders or powerful weapons that give us hope. It is confidence in the God who is over all and controls all—read verse 18:

But the eyes of the Lord are on those who fear him,
on those whose hope is in his unfailing love.

When the psalmist asks, “Why do the nations conspire and the peoples plot in vain?” (Psalm 2:1) God’s answer reverberates above the tumultuous earth,

“I have installed my king on Zion, my holy mountain” (verse 6).

Fear not. Focus above. Feed on the Psalms.

Finding Hope, 65 Meditations for a Broken Heart

Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixaby

News Alert (1)

~ Barbara ~ 2 Comments

Whether we diligently follow the news or can only bear to take occasional peeks, we are not unaware of the troubling headlines that reveal a distressing view of our world.

Read enough?

Media headlines are enough to upset us during the day and keep us awake at night. We feel helpless and may wonder if God sees all this. Friends, read on.

From heaven the Lord looks down and sees all mankind;
from His dwelling place He watches  all who live on earth—
He who forms the hearts of all,  who considers everything they do.
But the eyes of the Lord are on those who fear Him,
    on those whose hope is in His unfailing love.

Psalm 33:13-15, 18

We are not without help. God sees, watches, considers. Hope not in leaders or armies, but in our powerful God who has the ability to create with a word and destroy with a breath.

Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixaby

Finding Hope, 65 Meditations for a Broken Heart

We All Need Light

~ Barbara ~ Leave a comment

About eight months ago we had solar panels* installed. It’s been great—crank up the air, turn on the space heater, flip on the lights—it’s free! Until last month.

It was a gray, gray January. I searched my weather app for any hint of sunshine, but the only consistent prediction I saw was rain. We did not receive the power of the sun’s rays—we received an electric bill instead. Yes, there’s a point to this story but, first, let me digress.

I was disappointed in the book cover I chose for Finding Hope—it was not as sharp as I imagined it to be. I had polled friends and family for their choice out of six possibilities. Few chose the one I used. However, I noticed that each one hovered there first, then reason took over and moved them on to a brighter cover. I realized that what initially drew them was the light—glowing from the windows and shining in the sky. They saw light in the darkness and it attracted them. Since that is the point of my book, I opted for the lights and their promise of hope.

Dark circumstances and gray Januarys affect us beyond reason. We know there is a sun behind the clouds, but it’s depressing to not see it. We know there is a God of love behind our situations, but we despair when we can’t sense His presence. When we don’t absorb His light, we pay the consequences.

It is critical for us to position our sensors above the clouds and focus our faith on the Light we cannot see. The clouds will break, hope will come, and we will be found faithful because we believed despite the dreariness of our current view.

The Lord is my light and my salvation—whom shall I fear?
The Lord is the stronghold of my life—of whom shall I be afraid?
Psalm 27:1

*A shout-out to Henry at Trinity Solar.

Finding Hope, 65 Meditations for a Broken Heart.

Not for Women Only!

~ Barbara ~ Leave a comment

As you can see, men are also reading Finding Hope. In full disclosure, I admit they are family—grandson Cole, husband Rich, and son Shane. But, men and women alike, you can get your personal copy here: Finding Hope, 65 Meditations for a Broken Heart.

Thank you, my friends, for your likes and encouraging comments, with special thanks to those who shared my last post on Facebook.

Today I offer you a second sample meditation—DAY 21.

Lord, I’m Miserable

Record my misery; list my tears on your scroll—
are they not in your record?
Psalm 56:8

I knew my enemies were the unseen forces of evil, but some days I felt they were flesh and blood. Those who taunted me had names—Fear, Doubt, Self-pity, Anger, Defensiveness. When I listened to them I became cynical and afraid. As hopelessness took up residence, I internalized my thoughts and isolated myself from others. Thankfully, God saw me in my misery. Amazingly, He recorded it!

He took note of my tears and listed them on His scroll. Another wording reads, “Put my tears into Your bottle” (NKJV). The very idea defies comprehension. I am humbled to think of God gathering my tears and saving them in His bottle. He notices my pain and comes alongside me.

The Lord shares my sorrow and His tenderness comforts me. He knows my thoughts, doubts, and fears. He doesn’t need my faltering explanations—He understands the depths of my heartache and the extremity of my emptiness. He sees my broken places and my missing parts. As I surrender my anxiety and confide in Him, my sadness moves from its dark place into His light. My self-pity is deprived of sympathy and the heaviness lifts.

My sorrowing friend, we can go to Him because He loves us completely and cares for us deeply. Our tears are not unnoticed. Our Father has recorded them because we are precious to Him. He is our safe place.

Let’s agree with the psalmist, “In God I trust and am not afraid” (Psalm 56:4).