Hope

Hope ~ to cherish a desire with anticipation; to trust.

I received an e-mail today with the following scriptures in it:

Lamentations 3:21-25 “Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope: Because of the LORD's great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. I say to myself, "The LORD is my portion; therefore I will wait for him." The LORD is good to those whose hope is in him, to the one who seeks him;”

Romans 15:4 “For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.”

Hoping, waiting, on God. Knowing that He is always faithful. Knowing His compassions never fail. Knowing He is good to those who seek Him. Such a wonderful reward for putting our hope and our trust in Him. This immediately made me think of several journeys in life, that although I did have hope and trust in God, knowing that He was always faithful to His children, I didn't always seek Him first... I tried to handle it alone, figuring out the hard way that He was the one that would provide. I'm so thankful He is compassionate and forgiving. I'm thankful, that He still provides even when we slip into "control freak" mode and forget to put complete faith and trust in Him. Knowing always, He has a plan for us... in His time.

I'm so thankful that when I didn't know His plan for me back in 2000, He gave me hope and sent me my first son, Jacob. I'm so thankful that in 2003, when we had waited 1 1/2 years for a second child he brought me Amberlee. I'm so thankful that in His time, he brought me Mason, a child conceived in the "traditional" way that we never thought was possible. When I lost hope in God's plan for our family, He showed us the plan He had carved out specifically for us. Now, these things remind us daily of God's plan for us.

Thank You, Father. For loving us, forgiving us, and having great compassion for us. Thank You for being good to us when we seek You. Thank You for giving us Hope and Trust. Thank You for still loving us and providing for us even when we lose our trust in You. Please help us to always place our Hope and our Trust at Your feet and to have the Faith to leave it there. We know You always know our path and will guide us in it... even when it's difficult. Thank You, Father, thank You.