We should ask God to increase our hope when it is small, awaken it when it is dormant, confirm it when it is wavering, strengthen it when it is weak, and raise it up when it is overthrown.
From Psalm 62:5-6: “For God alone my soul waits in silence, for my hope is from Him. He alone is my rock and my salvation, my fortress; I shall not be shaken.”
God cannot reveal anything to us if we have not His spirit.
From Ephesians 5:18-20: “Do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit, as you sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs to one another, singing and making melody to the Lord in your hearts, giving thanks to God the Father at all times and for everything in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
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Expressions of hope are written throughout the Old Testament. At times, the people of Israel lost hope, but God always found ways to restore their trust and hope to believe in Him.
From Psalm 65:5: “By awesome deeds you answer us with deliverance, O God of our salvation; you are the hope of all the ends of the earth and the farthest seas.
Broken faith with God
Flicker of hope remains
Have hope, seek God
Hopeful in His deeds
Place our Living God
Above all other gods
Light turns into darkness
Hiding in the shadows
Yet, God remains close
Hope grows once again
Living tree of hope
Will live into eternity
New buds always sprout
Strength from the Father
There is always hope
Even in darkest times
Life’s trials uproot hope
Adversaries line up against
God hears our cries
Intervenes when hope’s weak
Ancestors of Jacob witness
Their hope in God
The God of Jacob
Always God of Hope
God keeps His decrees
Believe, look to God
God remains always faithful
Our Lord reigns forever
For God’s righteous believers
Hope ends in gladness
Way of the Lord
Offers refuge with wisdom
Follow God with hope
Always in our hearts
Tree of Life endures
Ready to sustain us
Hope shows the light
Steady on life’s course
When spirit is dried
Hope quenches our thirst
God opens hope’s door
Inviting us to enter
God sometimes does His work with gentle drizzle, not storms.
From Deuteronomy 32:2-3: “May my teaching drop like the rain, my speech condense like the dew, like gentle rain on grass, like showers on new growth. For I will proclaim the name of the Lord, ascribe greatness to our God!”
John Newton (1725-1807) was an English pastor who also was a writer of several hymns, including the beloved “Amazing Grace.” His early life is filled with contrasts, when compared to his later life. He served as a ship’s captain during the slave trade, but later renounced his work after his conversion to Christianity. He became an outspoken opponent of the slave trade later in his life.
From Psalm 16:1-2: “Protect me, O God, for in you I take refuge. I say to the Lord, ‘You are my Lord; I have no good apart from you.'”
Seeing foolishness
Walking darkest roads
Life’s journey of faith
Coming to crossroads
To whom shall we choose?
Evil’s empty book
Filled with deception
Flesh becomes his hook
Wilderness calls out
God’s refuge protects
Love filled with goodness
Earning our respect
Boundary lines set
Marching in God’s trust
Chosen path of life
Faith removes our lust
Always before us
God’s daily support
His right hand’s guidance
Grace never falls short
From Psalm 16:11: “You show me the path of life. In your presence there is fullness of joy; in your right hand are pleasures forevermore.”
To make your dream come true, you have to stay awake.
From Ephesians 3:20: “Now to Him who by the power at work within us is able to accomplish abundantly far more than all we can ask or imagine.”
From Isaiah 65:1: “I was ready to be sought out by those who did not ask, to be found by those who did not seek me. I said, ‘Here I am, here I am,’ to a nation that did not call on my name.”
Life’s stormy tribulations
Landscape filling with despair
Asking, to whom shall we turn?
God’s love coming forth, He cares
Darkness waits at each doorstep
Evil tramples tender reeds
Asking, to whom shall we turn?
God’s caring, sows fertile seeds
With each day, doing our best
Failure waiting once again
Asking, to whom shall we turn?
God’s seeds, breaking chains
Persecution waits nearby
Enemy lines up to strike
Asking, to whom shall we turn?
God’s breaking bread, fills life’s dike
Passing years taking their toll
Burdens never seem to leave
Asking, to whom shall we turn?
God’s life plan, always believe
American Methodist preacher and gospel hymn composer, Charles Albert Tindley (1851-1933), wrote the lyrics to “Stand By Me” in 1905. Gospel singer Marvin Williams adds his own interpretation to this beloved hymn.
When times are tough, the Lord is our only security.
From Matthew 6:25, 31-32: “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear?’ For it is the gentiles who seek all these things, and indeed your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things.”
From Matthew 14:23-25: “And after He [Jesus] had dismissed the crowds, He went up the mountain by Himself to pray. When evening came, He was there alone, but by this time the boat, battered by the waves, was far from the land, for the wind was against them. And early in the morning He came walking toward them on the sea.”
Facing challenges
Feel nourishing calm
Fed with Living Bread
Holy Spirit’s balm
Sailing into wind
Swelling, stormy waves
Seeking God’s compass
Eternal grace saves
Witnessing hardships
Gale arrives today
God never leaves us
Teaching us to pray
Smothering tempest
Evil’s wrath scolding
Finding God’s refuge
His peace beholding
Overcoming storms
Daily lessons teach
Hearing Gospel’s call
Rescued from tide’s breach
From Proverbs 10:25: “When the tempest passes, the wicked are no more, but the righteous are established forever.”
God alone can give us songs in the night.
From Mark 5:35-36: “While He was still speaking, some people came from the synagogue leader’s house to say, ‘Your daughter is dead. Why trouble the teacher any further?’ But overhearing what they said, Jesus said to the synagogue leader, “Do not be afraid; only believe.'”
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