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.
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.”
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.
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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
Sharing
God’s glory
Accepting His grace
Boasting in our sufferings
Hope
Jesus
Unselfish grace
Justified by faith
Lasting peace with Father
Redemption
Spirit
Filling heart
With hope-filled peace
Strengthening endurance molding character
Everlasting
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.”
[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.
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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
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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.”
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.”
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.”
Hearing hope-filled words
Again and again
Different story
Always same message
Better tomorrow’s
Waiting in the wings
Whatever issue
Life’s hollow words sting
Today’s hope searching
Empty souls stare out
Yesterday shattered
Future dreams snuffed out
Confidence shaken
Sunrise uncertain
Starving for action
Grieving voices weep
Life struggles onward
Energy waning
From smallest ember
Hope’s flame still glowing
From Psalm 119:1-3: “Happy are those whose way is blameless, who walk in the law of the Lord. Happy are those who keep His decrees, who seek Him with their whole heart, who also do no wrong but walk in His ways.”
Happiness comes to those
Pursuing Christ, our Lord
Walking in righteousness
His grace brings us on board
Heart’s treasured devotion
Pursuing Christ, our Lord
Following His teachings
Peace sings harmony’s chords
Soul’s consuming passion
Pursuing Christ, our Lord
Hearing His sacred Word
Faith breathes, fully restored
Future hope lights each day
Pursuing Christ, our Lord
Praying darkness shall fade
Trust grows, mercy’s accord
Empty tomb now proclaims
Pursuing Christ, our Lord
Opening heaven’s gate
Resurrection awards
From Psalm 119:159-160: “Consider how I love Your precepts; be gracious to me according to Your steadfast love. The sum of Your word is truth, and every one of Your righteous ordinances endures forever.”
Big Sky Buckeye 