Thought of the day; fasting hopelessness
How in the "crush" of life's circumstances do we keep our hearts free to hope?
Tranquility is an illusion; heartbreaks can be the door of hope. Hope is far more about the joy of being found in our mess and then being led out to freedom than it is about being lulled to sleep by the rhythms of Gods heartbeat. If we are honest, the threshold between joy and... pain is slight, so it has more to do with where we are being led.
So in the "crush" we pray for hope that opens the door to His presence that holds up our hearts and counsels us along the way.
This kind of hope rouses us to say "yes" to life in the core of our being, even when we are suffering. We are saying yes to Him as He says - "I am taking you somewhere, and it's all about my love for you."
It's all about the journey through the circumstance. Give yourself to Him in the valley. Trust Him to lead you through. Hold on to hope while he turns your pain into pure joy.
"But then I win her back once again. I will lead her out into the desert and speak tenderly to her there. I will return her vineyards to her and transform the Valley of Trouble(the valley of Anchor into a gateway of hope. She will give herself to me there, as she did long ago when she was young..."
Hosea 2:14,15