31 Days of Hope - Day 20

“Evening and morning and at noon, I will complain and murmur, and He will hear my voice.” Psalm 55:17

Did you know that you can complain to God? And that you can even do it repeatedly, if needed?

I think there’s often this view of God which makes Him appear far too distant and lofty to listen to anything hard that is in our lives or on our hearts. Yes, He’s holy. Yes, He’s Almighty. And yes, He’s seated on a heavenly throne. But this same Almighty God longs to hear from us – and if what we say to Him appears more like a frustrated cry, then so be it.

You see, if we believe He truly knows our hearts, then He already knows our frustration, our pain, and our hurt. So why would we try to hide all of this when we come to Him in prayer, masking it all and acting like everything is fine?

If David, who is known after a man after God’s own heart, didn't mind pouring out His complaints to God over and over – and he apparently didn't, because in this verse he mentions doing it in the evening, morning, and noon – then we should be encouraged that we can too. We can tell him how we really feel on both the good and the bad days. We don’t have to “sugar coat” our lives just because we are talking to a perfect God.  He knows He is hearing from an imperfect person He's created who is living in an imperfect world.

So let’s drop the pretenses, and get real before Him.

He knows. He sees. He cares.

And He’s always listening.

31 Days of Hope - Day 19

“My sacrifice, O God, is a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart You, God, will not despise.” Psalm 51:17

Did you know that a broken heart can be a beautiful thing? I didn’t, until lately.

Until recently, I’ve always felt a broken heart was too messy. Sad. Discouraged. Ugly. Shattered. Unable to be completely mended. And that’s pretty much all true. But I never discovered any beauty in those things until I experienced my own broken heart.

Not the kind of broken heart because the boy you have a crush on in high school asked someone else to the prom. But the kind that is truly, completely broken. A mess. Dark, and seemingly beyond repair.

This verse shows us that God, in His beautiful way of restoring broken things, loves our broken hearts. They are true sacrifices to Him that He will never detest or turn away from. That is because a broken heart is real. Vulnerable. Completely undone and in need of total help and healing.

It’s us acknowledging that we can’t fix things on our own and in need of a Savior, the only One who can.

It’s us admitting that we don’t know what to do but turning to the One who does.

And to Him, that kind of heart is beautiful.

Because that’s when we step out of the way and let Him do miracles… His specialty.

31 Days of Hope - Day 18

“Through You we push back our enemies; through Your name we trample our foes.” 

Psalm 44:5

What would you say your biggest enemy is right now? Sure, these Psalms were written when there were gigantic armies of men pursuing God’s people, and you may not (hopefully) have that occurring in your own life physically right now. But I'll bet you have some enemies.  I know I do.

For me, there’s a giant enemy called fear that likes to loom around me. Especially after experiencing loss, the tendency is to want to live safely and to do everything I can to protect those I love to keep from experiencing any further loss. I want everyone and everything to be ok, and I wrestle with thoughts of made up scenarios where that’s not the case.

But with God on my side, I don’t need to fear. I can push back that fear. I can trample it! His Word equips me to be brave, take risks, and move forward in His strength. And it does the same for you!

We don’t have to be held captive by our enemies. We always have hope that our God is stronger than them. They can threaten and scare us, but they have no power over us. We are His, and we can defeat them in His powerful name.

Whatever enemy you feel might be holding you down today, realize it doesn’t have to defeat you. Then get up, push it away, and go forward in the strength the Lord gives!

Pushed down. Trampled. That’s where that enemy belongs.

And you? You, my friend, belong right in the grip of His strong loving arms.

31 Days of Hope - Day 17

“Then my tongue shall tell of your righteousness and of your praise all the day long.” 

Psalm 35:28

I’ve often struggled with anything I need to do consistently. Take writing 31 days in a row, for instance. :) Only a few days in, I saw just how hard this challenge would really be. Just the day to day busyness and schedule doesn’t allow for writing sometimes. Then throw in some sickness and travel that’s happened during this month. It’s made it a little challenging, to say the least!

So when the Bible talks about doing something continually, like “In everything give thanks” (1 Thessalonians 5:18), or “Pray without ceasing” (1 Thessalonians 5:17), I find that pretty hard. How do we realistically be thankful in everything or continually pray? That seems to take some real effort.  There have probably even been books written on those topics to help us learn some ways.

But this verse? This verse proclaims this truth in a way that shows a result. Earlier in the chapter, the Psalmist prays for victory over his enemies in such a way that causes them to magnify God. Then he closes the chapter with this verse, describing the result almost as involuntary. My tongue will tell. I will speak Your praise.  I don't have to force it.  It will happen.

I love that. It’s not something I have to go looking for or go asking for. When God works in amazing victorious ways, this will be the result. I want to speak God’s praise all day long, but so often other things creep in and take priority in my thoughts and words. But when we see Him work – really see Him work – we won’t be able to keep silent! The praise will be constantly overflowing from our mouths because we’ve seen Him work in such powerful ways.

That gives me hope today, and I hope it will encourage you too.

Keep watching! He’s working.

31 Days of Hope - Day 16

“They looked to Him and were radiant, and their faces shall never be ashamed.” 

Psalm 34:5

My late husband B used to tell me that women he knew with the most beautiful faces were some of the oldest ones he knew. He said that he could tell that when a woman walked with Jesus throughout her life, she was transformed into a more and more beautiful person, even as her physical body began to age. And he always affirmed me that he knew I would be one of those women.

Man, what an encouragement.  Boy, do I pray so. This world is hard, and it can leave you feeling and looking pretty haggard. We can’t really stop all the wrinkles and lines from forming. We can spend all sorts of money to try to fix them, but that never really stops them.

But true beauty lies so much deeper. This verse reminds me of it, and encourages me that when we turn our gaze to the One who loves us most, He makes us radiant. Our beauty shines off to a watching world that there is something different about us, and that difference is that we’ve walked closely with the Savior. Just like when Moses came down from the mountain, we are different. We are beautiful. And we aren’t ashamed, but instead full of hope.

Lord, turn our eyes towards You and let us gaze into Your beauty until our faces radiate with it. Replace our worry lines with peace, and let us continually be reminded that when we choose to put our hope in You, we will never be ashamed.

31 Days of Hope - Day 15

“Be strong, and let your heart take courage, all you who hope in the Lord.” 
Psalm 31:24

Sometimes I feel the farthest thing away from strong. In fact, I’m just a big wimp sometimes. I get fearful. I try to run from hard things. And when I do face struggles I can't run from, I usually plug through with what feels like only an ounce of strength. That’s because those kinds of struggles usually are known for zapping us of any strength we thought we had and leaving us with what feels like total and complete weakness.

I love this verse because it’s a little like the pep talk I constantly need but easily forget when it’s given to me. When we choose to put our hope in the Lord, no matter what we are walking through, we can be strong. We can do hard things, and we can do those hard things with a heart that overflows with courage.

When our hope lies in an Anchor for our souls that is immovable, we can battle through a hard stormy waters because we know beyond a doubt that our ship is not going down. We are held secure by His strong arms.

But it’s a choice – sometimes even a moment by moment one.

We must choose to be brave.

We must choose to have courage.

He’ll do the rest.

31 Days of Hope - Day 14

"You have turned for me my mourning into dancing; You have loosed my sackcloth and clothed me with gladness, that my glory may sing Your praise and not be silent. 

O Lord my God, I will give thanks to You forever!" 

 Psalm 30:11-12

In the thick of pain, joy seems really hard to find.  And definitely not dancing.  Dancing just seems utterly impossible.

But God.

He delights to weave beauty through our sadness and give us reason to rejoice.  To give us hope that transcends our grief and makes us able to rise up from the ashes, stand strong, and dance in gladness over His amazing works in our lives.

But He does it for a reason, and that's so we can praise Him, give Him thanks, and declare His glory to all who know our stories.

I've been in the dark of night, and I've watched this transformation happen.  Sure, it takes time, and there will always be scars from the pain experienced.  But my desire is that God be praised for all of it, because I certainly could never manufacture any joy on my own in the ache of such loss.

So look for me on the dance floor, friend, and we can rejoice together over His faithfulness in our lives.  

31 Days of Hope - Day 13

"One thing have I asked of the Lord, that will I seek after: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to inquire in His temple." Psalm 27:4

The Psalmist understood the truth. There is only one thing we really have to get right. One thing that truly matters.  He said that he asked just one thing of the Lord and would choose to seek after.  He wanted to dwell in the Lord's presence and gaze on His beauty.

To be honest, I find that hard to do sometimes.  I focus on all this little trivial stuff that so often really doesn't matter or have any eternal value.  And then I walk around stressed and anxious because I've caused the stress.  Go figure.

When we choose to seek the Lord above all else, we can trust that everything else will fall into place.  Peace will follow.  Joy will follow.  And contentment will follow, because we are convinced that He's got us under His control.  We will have hope because He will fill our hearts with it.

He's promised us that when we seek Him, we will find Him.

But first we must choose to really seek Him.

31 Days of Hope - Day 12

"Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, 

and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever." 

 Psalm 23:6

I honestly think about heaven much more now that the man I loved more than life itself for ten years is there. Sometimes I wish it would have come more naturally before then, but the busy days in the past of diapers and feedings didn't gravitate themselves to those kinds of thoughts on their own very often.

My days are busier now, and yet a lot slower too. I have a lot more time to think, and I'm grateful that my mind does gravitate more toward heaven and can choose to surpass the anxiety of living life here on this earth and to remember there's more than this.

All the pain will be gone. All the loss will be gone. All the sickness.... gone. And anything else hard that comes with living in this fallen world... gone. What a comfort. What a reason to hope.

When life gets hard, we can remember this truth.  His goodness and mercy will be with us as we walk through hard days, and that alone is such a gift.  But it gets even better.  Oh, so much better.

We will dwell with Him - in His presence, where only love and joy and peace can exist, and nothing can ever hurt us again.

Forever.  

31 Days of Hope - Day 11

“Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.” 

 Psalm 23:4

“I will fear no evil, for You are with me…” Easier said than done, right?

Right after Pastor Rick Warren’s son went to be with Jesus, he preached an incredible sermon series that I clung to as I walked through my own first months of grief. In it, he made the following great points about shadows:

1. They can’t hurt us. Scare us? Yes. But hurt us? No. We tell our children on a dark night, “It’s just a shadow.” We know the truth that the actual shadow is nothing to fear when they don’t, so we speak the truth to them. And we will have to speak the same truth to our own hearts when we are hit with life’s shadows. There may be something very difficult the shadow represents, like the shadow of death mentioned in this verse, but the shadow itself cannot hurt us when we are children of the Father.

2.  Shadows always appear bigger than they are. Usually they are pretty much just a bigger distorted version of a reality. So yes, the reality of whatever we are facing may be pretty hard, but we often blow it up in our heads to be even bigger. Our fear just makes the hardship worse.

3.  Where ever there’s a shadow, there’s a light. Think about it. That’s just how shadows work. If it was all darkness, there couldn’t be a shadow. A shadow forms because of the way an image is reflected in partial light. There must be light in existence for the shadow to be created.

Let’s choose to seek the Light of the World today, even though it might take an entirely new perspective of the shadows we face. He’s there with us, even through our times of deep darkness.

31 Days of Hope - Day 10

“The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul. 

He leads me in paths of righteousness for His name's sake…” 

Psalm 23:1-3

Why is it that often, when we feel the most tired, sleeps seems so hard to come by? There have been many nights when I’m feeling downright exhausted, yet cannot succumb to sleep. Lately I’ve been dealing with the same issue with one of my children too.

I listen to the Passion City Church podcast almost every week, and not long ago, Pastor Louie Giglio spoke of listening to Psalm 23 before going to sleep each night. I started doing this, and noticed a difference.

It’s not hard to see why. What part of this passage is not peaceful? It all speaks of rest. The green pastures… the still waters… where all is calm. It's what we wish for here on this earth but often cannot seem to find. That’s because it’s only found through our Lord, our Shepherd.

When we let Him lead us as His little sheep, He tenderly cares for us.  He brings the peace that passes understanding. He quiets our soul and allows it to rest when everything around us is full of chaos.

He leads.

We follow.

And when we follow, He quiets us.  Moreover, we are content in His loving arms.

There are beautiful peaceful paths of righteousness that He is calling us to today. Will we choose to follow?

31 Days of Hope - Day 9

So... I had a little "bump in the road" that kept me from blogging for the last few days, but I'm back and hoping to get through this 31 Day challenge - even if it goes through November! :)

“How long, Lord? Will you forget me forever?  How long will you hide your face from me?  How long must I wrestle with my thoughts and day after day have sorrow in my heart? How long will my enemy triumph over me?

…But I trust in Your unfailing love; my heart rejoices in Your salvation.  I will sing the Lord’s praise, for He has been good to me.”  Psalm 13:1-2, 5-6

A happy ending.  Pretty much all of us love them.  Whether it’s just in a movie or a situation in real life, they just bring us such happiness, don’t they? 

We looked at the first part of this Psalm yesterday, but I wanted to come back to it today because of its ending.  After crying out to God with his “How long?” questions, and begging God to look on him and answer (verses 3-4), David can finish his prayer on a happy note.  This is not because his circumstances have changed, but because of where his trust is placed. 

And we can too.  No matter what’s going on in our lives, we can trust – not in our circumstances, but in God’s unfailing love for us.  We can rejoice, not because our lives have no difficulties, but because of God’s salvation offered to us in the  midst of our difficulties that enables us to get through them.  

And we can even sing, praising the Lord for what He’s done before He’s even done it, because we know deep down that He has been good to us. 

And that, my friends, looks like a happy ending.  And one worth singing about.  

31 Days of Hope - Day 8

“How long, LORD? Will You forget me forever? How long will You hide your face from me? How long must I wrestle with my thoughts, and day after day have sorrow in my heart? How long will my enemy triumph over me?” 

 Psalm 13:1-2

How long, O God? Have you ever prayed a similar prayer? I have. At first glance, these verses don’t look like they offer much hope, but they have impacted me over the years because of how they are worded. David, the man who prayed these words, doesn’t ask God why he’s going through his struggles. Instead, he asked, “How long?”

That’s convicting to me. When I go through a hard season, my normal question is “Why?” Why are You allowing this? Why am I still here? Why aren’t You answering? But David didn’t do that. It’s like he accepted that hardships were a part of life, and instead just wondered how long it would be until he was through the current trials he faced. That was the question he cried out to God with in his prayers, and his words challenge me to do the same.

I read recently in her Children of the Day study, what Beth Moore wrote:

"What if we did come to expect that life was going to push us with pressure to compress us? If we’re not prepared, when they push, we are moved. But if we are prepared, we plant our feet, bend our knees, and hold tight with all our might.” 

And so we, like David, can choose to ask “How long?” instead of “Why?” We can choose to plant our feet firmly before the ground starts shaking around us and know God has His reasons for allowing our hardships.

And with our feet firmly planted, we can endure through whatever comes our way.

31 Days of Hope - Day 7

“For You make him most blessed forever; You make him glad with the joy of Your presence.” 

 Psalm 21:6

When life gets hard, it’s tempting to look all over the place for our joy. We can’t seem to find any joy where we are, so we go searching for it… at the mall for a new outfit, at a coffee shop pouring our heart out to a good friend, or to the salon for a massage or pedicure.

And while all of those things are not bad in moderation and often very appreciated at times, any joy they bring is very fast fleeting. Believe me – I know. They help bring a little “pick me up” while they last, but as soon as the experience is over, the ache and need to search for something else to make us feel happier is back.

The kind of joy that is spoken of in Psalm 21:6 doesn’t rise or fall on circumstances or events. It’s a joy that sweeps over a person as a result of God’s presence. The simple fact that the presence of God dwells in her and goes with her as she goes about her day makes her glad. In other verses in the book of Psalms, the writers state that there is joy in God’s presence. So if joy accompanies His presence, it must influence us and fill our hearts as God’s presence surrounds us.

I don’t want to have to go looking for joy, and I certainly can’t just manufacture it whenever I want some - as much as I may try sometimes. What great news it is that the lasting joy I’m looking for is right here with me and I only have to be choose to let it sustain me, as I let God be enough for me.

And when I do, that joy will end up spilling over onto my friend at the coffee shop or the manicurist at the salon. It won’t be about what I need that day, but what I can give.

Because God’s presence - full of joy - will be there too.

31 Days of Hope - Day 6

“He brought me out in a broad place; He rescued me, because He delighted in me.” 

 Psalm 18:19

I struggle with it sometimes… does He truly delight in me? After all, I’ve been praying for some things for such a long time that He still hasn’t answered. I beg for His presence to show up in a big way and am left wondering if He truly hears. I’ve gone through and am still going through hard seasons of life when He can seem so far away.

Maybe you understand. Maybe you’ve been there. Maybe you are there right now. If so, we both need to look past what appears to be real to what is real… and that is the truth that He’s told us repeatedly in His Word that He takes great delight in us. As women, we are His princesses.

His beloved.

He protects us, provides for us, and providentially guides our future.

He rescues us from our troubles because of His delight in us.

No matter what our past holds, or how we may feel today, He delights in us. He sent His own Son to secure our future, so we can also trust in His love for our todays.

Let’s live today as the recipient of His delight… for that is what we are.

31 Days of Hope - Day 5

“The heavens proclaim the glory of God and the sky above proclaims His handiwork.” 

Psalm 19:1

Being the only one in my house currently who can drive, I find myself behind the steering wheel more times than I can count some days. At those times, it’s tempting to tune out the world around me and focus on some music, or just think about my little life and all of my little problems. But I’ve found that when I actually choose to see what I’m looking at as I drive down roads and observe the world around me, my problems really do appear pretty little.

Psalm 19:1 states that the sky is basically showing off God’s glory and majesty. It’s just that I think we are sometimes so used to seeing the sky that we stop truly seeing it for what it is... amazing. The blues and purples and pinks and reds all blended together in a form of artwork that looks like a majestic painting. Day and night, sunrise and sunset, the clouds are arranged like a painting created by a Master Artist with an eye for design. And we miss it.

At least I do. I take it for granted. The sky is always there, I must think. But then sometimes there’s just this touch of added beauty that somehow captures my attention. And I am reminded of the Creator who is powerful enough to place those clouds and colors in the sky and put them there in such a way that they are simply beautiful… and shout loudly, yet quietly, of His power.

I’m really pretty small under that majestic sky, and my problems are not that big after all.

The One who can take care of the universe can certainly care for me, and for you.

31 Days of Hope - Day 4

   “I said to the Lord, ‘You are my Master!  Every good thing I have comes from You.' ”  

Psalm 16:2

Sometimes it’s hard to see all of the good things we’ve been given.  When life is rough and every day seems dark and bleak, it’s not natural to start listing all of the good  - because usually, we have a hard time even finding much good. 

But it’s there, even when we don’t see it immediately.  When storms are pouring down hard on us and the sunlight is hidden behind the clouds, we know that it’s there, right?  It’s just that – hidden.  We have to remind ourselves that the sun will come back out again after the storm has passed.   That’s just the way the Creator has designed it.  

Sometimes, in a similar manner, the storms of life knock us down and we have to remember that the blessings are there… they just might seem a little more hidden to us at the moment. It’s in those times when a gratitude journal is such a gift we can give to ourselves.  When it becomes a personal habit to record down the good things we’ve been given by our Master, it helps us survive the hard times.  This is first, because we can look back on God’s faithfulness and all that He’s blessed us with, and it can encourage us that He still is blessing us, even when it’s harder to see.  And second, we can train our minds to find some good, no matter how bad the bad is.   Because it is there.  

We just might have to look a little harder to find it. 

31 Days of Hope - Day 3

“And those who know Your name put their trust in You, for You, O Lord, 

have not forsaken those who seek You.”  

Psalm 9:9

Let’s just admit it – sometimes God seems really far away.  The problems seem huge, and God seems small.  We keep waiting for Him to sweep in and save the day like He’s Superman, and instead, He’s just quietly asking us to keep trusting Him as we read His Word.  This kind of trust takes courage, because it’s not a quick one time act.  It’s a one step at a time, trudging through the dark not knowing where you are going, continual choice. 

But when we truly know His name – know who He is, know what He has done, and know what He can do – then we will keep trusting Him because we have hope of what He will do.  We believe His greatness because we’ve not only read of it in His Word and heard about it from others, but because we too have experienced it in times past.  

So we keep plugging along through the dark todays because we’ve seen Him come through in our yesterdays.  And this gives us hope that our tomorrows are also in His hands. 

His name is Father.  Almighty One.  Blessed Redeemer.  Eternal King.  Sovereign Lord. 

And all that He is, He is for you.  Keep trusting.  He will not forsake you if you continue to seek Him.  

He's promised. 

31 Days of Hope - Day 2

“In peace I will both lie down and sleep, for You alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety.” 

Psalm 4:8

I tossed and turned, restless to finally succumb to sleep.  I prayed, I read for a little bit, and I counted backward from 1000 until I realized that wasn't working either.  Then, it dawned on me that peace had just totally escaped me.  I could not calm myself down.  I felt vulnerable.  I heard every little noise both inside and outside, and realized worries were popping into my head like fires, faster than I could rid myself of them. 

What I needed in that moment was for peace to wash over me like a flood.  Maybe you’ve been there too.  Unfortunately, I’ve had more of those nights than I would like to remember.  And sometimes, I’m supposed to be awake so I can pray for someone that God has put on my heart.  But usually, my problem is that I can’t manufacture peace.  I have to ask my Heavenly Father, the Author and Sustainer of peace, for enough of it to sustain me through the night.  I sometimes have to beg Him when it doesn’t come right away.  But sooner or later, if I choose to trust Him and lay all of my worries at His feet in prayer, peace comes.  He pours His perfect restful peace into my heart and helps calm my restless heart and head. 

And with it, comes sleep.  Because He brought it, and not because of anything I could do on my own.

Thank you, Lord, that You let me dwell in safety.  Help me to keep hoping in Your peace the next time I can’t sleep.  I am safe in Your arms, and I can lay my cares at Your feet and completely rest in Your presence.  

31 Days of Hope... Day 1

Welcome to the 31 Days of Hope series - short truths from the Psalms that will be posted here each day throughout the month of October. I pray they will bring hope and encouragement to you through whatever you are facing right now.

“But you, O Lord, are a shield around me, my glory, and the One who lifts my head.” 
Psalm 3:3

Some days, it’s hard to even get out of bed. The heaviness of this world and its trials, and the overwhelming feeling of all that personally awaits us that day, can burden us down so heavily that we just feel stuck. I know. I’ve been there. I’m still there some days. This life is haaaaard.

And yet, there’s always hope.

The Lord....

the One who sovereignly reigns over all of the universe....
Who knows the number of hairs on our heads....
Who sees each tear that falls from our cheeks....

is also declared here in His Word to also be One who is the Lifter of our heads.

When our head is lifted, we can look up. We can see a little past whatever is currently blocking our way.  We can stand taller, walk more confidently, and have the confidence to brave it – whatever our “it” might be. We know we are shielded and protected with glory surrounding us to deal with whatever we will face today. I know personally that just knowing this truth brings some hope and confidence with it.

He’s there to lift up your head today, friend. You’ve got this.

Only because He’s the one doing the lifting.