31 Days of Hope - Day 31

“Let my prayer be counted as incense before You, 

and the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice!” 

 Psalm 141:2

And there it is… the final verse in this series of 31 verses from the Psalms that inspire hope. And it is about sacrifice, which isn’t always the most fun topic to discuss. Sacrifice often hurts. It usually costs us something. It is worship with a price tag on it, offering to God what hurts to give up to Him.

It may be tearfully acknowledging that you would rather be married, but are choosing to be alright with being single if that’s what His plan is for you. It may be the painful giving over of your dreams to be a mother if no children is what He deems best, because the fertility issues are at the forefront of your thoughts right now. It may be just telling Him that you are willing to do what He wants you to do today, even when you would rather keep your own agenda.

Whatever it is, it’s usually difficult. And that’s why hands lifted in surrender, and words spoken in a submissive prayer before the Lord, can be a most beautiful gift to Him. Voicing them – truly speaking out loud that we choose His will before our own – is a beautiful thing to our Father. Like a sweet smelling incense, our words rise to Him and are counted by Him as beautiful. This is what the Psalmist prays for.

This is what I pray for, and that I hope you’ll pray for on this journey you are walking. Maybe hope still seems hard to find right now. But your words… your prayers… they can bring a spark of it. Maybe you don’t know what else to do. But you don’t have to. That’s really enough for now. Just speaking out your willingness, even when it’s tough, brings beauty… and hope.

He has not forgotten you. He sees your pain, and He knows your heart. He knows what a hard road you may be on, and how you are doing your best to just get through each day.

With your arms raised and your heart bowed, let’s keep walking.

For this walk, though it may be hard, is beautiful, because your Savior walks it with you.

And because He is the Author of hope, you will never fully lose hope with Him walking by your side.