Tag Archives: hope

Season of Discouragement

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From Nehemiah 1:3:  “They replied, ‘The remnant there in the province who escaped captivity are in great trouble and shame; the wall of Jerusalem is broken down, and its gates have been destroyed by fire.'”

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Shining locomotive churning along

Life ascending every mountain peak

Suddenly, trusty light turns to darkness

Disappointment abounds, whom shall we seek?

 

Loyal tracks of faith, now wrecked and ruined

Trusting walls of protection, now in shambles

Shepherd’s gate to heaven, forever crushed

Life in darkness, attempts to unscramble

 

Season of discouragement, shrouds small faith

Eyes filling with tears, overwhelming scene

Kneeling below bloody, Golgotha cross

Prayer fills with forgiveness, hope blooms green

 

God’s attentive ear, mercy listens in

Rebuilding life within Christ, faith’s linchpin

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From Nehemiah 1:11:  “O Lord, let Your ear be attentive to the prayer of Your servant and to the prayer of Your servants who delight in revering Your name.  Give success to Your servant today, and grant him mercy in the sight of this man!”

On Our Way

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From Psalm 118:24:  “This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.”

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On our way—

Following

Son of God,

Jesus Christ

 

On our way—

Witnessing

Faithful hope,

Filled with Christ

 

On our way—

Confronting

Day’s darkness,

Buoyed by Christ

 

On our way—

Restoring

Shattered lives,

Praising Christ

 

On our way—

Quieting

Stormy seas,

Christ as work

 

On our way—

Conquering

Evil’s foe,

Christ with us

 

On our way—

Redeeming

Wayward souls,

Christ’s love saves

 

On our way—

Proclaiming

Thankful hearts,

Blessed Christ

 

On our way—

Rejoicing

Forever,

Within Christ

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From Philippians 4:4:  “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice.”

The inspiration for this poem comes from the hymn, “On Our Way, Rejoicing.”  Here are the lyrics and music of this beloved song.

Lady Bird Johnson Quotes

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Where flowers bloom so does hope.

My heart found its home long ago in the beauty, mystery, order and disorder of the flowering earth.

Claudia Alta Johnson (1912-2007), better know as Lady Bird Johnson, was a former United States first lady from 1963-1969, while her husband Lyndon served as President.  

John Calvin Quote

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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.”

Richard Ford Quotes

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Find what causes a commotion in your heart.  Find a way to write about that.

If you lose all hope, you can always find it again.

Richard Ford (born 1944) is an American novelist and short story writer.  In 1996, he won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction from his book, INDEPENDENCE DAY.

Monday Memories: Expressions of Hope

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background black branches clouds

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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

 

 

Hope’s Redemptive Peace (Elfchen Series #105)

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Faith Believes

Sharing

God’s glory

Accepting His grace

Boasting in our sufferings

Hope

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Salvation Purchased

Jesus

Unselfish grace

Justified by faith

Lasting peace with Father

Redemption

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Life Awakens

Spirit

Filling heart

With hope-filled peace

Strengthening endurance molding character

Everlasting

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All of the above verses are inspired from Romans 5:1-5:  “Therefore, since we are justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have obtained access to this grace in which we stand, and we boast in our hope of sharing the glory of God.  And not only that, but we also boast in our afflictions, knowing that affliction produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us.”

Monday Memories: Quietness Speaks

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[From March, 2020] I took a recent neighborhood walk, and the surroundings were definitely not the norm.  Quiet streets and hardly anyone outside on a gloomy, spring afternoon.  I crossed a busy road, without the usual volume of traffic.  The entire experience brought many thoughts to mind, some of which found their way into this poem.

grayscale photography of waiting shed near open road at night

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Morning rush traffic, missing in action

Downtown streets resemble empty ghost towns

All of this, most unusual for many

Life experiencing major breakdowns

 

Atmosphere of dark, winter gloom arrives

Quiet neighborhood lanes, filled with stillness

Sheltered-in-place covers the entire land

Fear and panic, with visions of illness

 

Households, overflowing with family

Quite unique for a midweek afternoon

Only essential employees at work

Life differs from a “Charlie Brown” cartoon

 

Spring’s portraits and sounds, arriving on schedule

Trees bud out, grass turning green, robins sing

God’s creation reminds us, He is near

His steadfast, faithful hope shall always ring

young grain

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From Lamentations 3:21-23:  “But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope:  The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, His mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness.”

John Calvin Quote

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We should ask God to increase our hope when it is small, awaken it when its 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.”

Max Lucado Quote

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Teach us to set our hopes on Heaven, to hold firmly to the promise of eternal life, so that we can withstand the struggles and storms of this world.

From Colossians 1:5-6:  The faith and love that spring from the hope stored up for you in heaven and about which you have already heard in the true message of the gospel that has come to you.  In the same way, the gospel is bearing fruit and growing throughout the whole world—just as it has been doing among you since the day you heard it and truly understood God’s grace.”