Gardens along the way....4...Hope...
“hope
- A desire of some good, accompanied with at least a slight expectation of obtaining it, or a belief that it is obtainable ...
- Confidence in a future event; the highest degree of well founded expectation of good; as a hope founded on God's gracious promises; a scriptural sense.
- That which gives hope; he or that which furnishes ground of expectation, or promises desired good ...
av1611.com/kjbp/kjv-dictionary/hope.html”
“
- Definition of hope (Entry 2 of 6) 1 a : desire accompanied by expectation of or belief in fulfillment
www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hope”
I realized as I have been walking, observing nature, seeing
God’s creation, that I enjoy beauty, color, newness of life, learning...but most of all, I see hope...
As we have been going through this pandemic, hopelessness has seeped in...loss of lives, jobs, “control”, day to dayness, economic questions, emotional distress, lack of trust, freedom of movement...Hope seems way out there, untouchable, unfathomable, insecurity reigns....even with slogans of “we care”, “we will make it”...normalness has changed...and we long for the security of normalness...hope...
Flowers, gardens I saw along the way represented hope...
I was discouraged when my blooming fruit trees all froze as I had the expectation of fruit as I did last year...this year, maybe a half of a ice cream bucket instead of bins full...
But, I had put my hope in tangible fruit, instead, the trees are growing prolifically...putting out more branches, leaves....growth in this season...
Growth...hope ...not in the economy, not in the normalness, not in control...but hope places where it should be placed...in
God...
He is the one who gives hope in distress, hope in Christ, hope in eternity, hope in forgiveness, hope through adversity...
Men and women down through the ages, in various circumstances, have found that same hope...
And it is still there ...thank YOU again and again...
I looked up the word “hope”....it is found 180 times in the NIV version of the Word...164 times in the ESV version. A few follow...
Be strong and take heart, all you who hope in the Lord.
Psalm 31:24
Three times in Psalms 42 and 43
Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God.
Psalm 42:5
Yes, my soul, find rest in God; my hope comes from him.
Psalm 62:5
but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.
Isaiah 40:31
For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.
Jeremiah 29:11-13
The Lord is good to those whose hope is in him, to the one who seeks him; it is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord.
Lamentations 3:25-26
And now it is because of my hope in what God has promised our ancestors that I am on trial today.
Acts 26:6
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 boast in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.
Romans 5:1-5
Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.
Romans 12:12
We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain, where our forerunner, Jesus, has entered on our behalf. He has become a high priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek.
Hebrews 6:19-20
Worthy of listening...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SFuucAzwg1s
these fruits are about the size of one of my finger nails....small, but great hope....
these fruits are about the size of one of my finger nails....small, but great hope....
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