![Hope[1]](http://i2.wp.com/www.noordinarydays.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/Hope1.jpg?resize=300%2C162)
After talking with several friends recently I was feeling overwhelmed. “Where are the answers Lord? These families need an intervention! They need change. They need direction. They simply need more income.” My prayers had a tone of frustration. I didn’t see the pathway to the transformation and provision. Things seemed impossible.
It’s easy to forget the power of God when I am overcome by the problems around me. But as I think back to my childhood I realize that even when things seemed impossible God has always been faithful.
When I was a little girl we moved from California to Washington. My dad assumed it would be to take a pastorate in the area where my mother’s family lived, but God had other plans. He took odd jobs wherever he could get them as a sort of handyman. It was a trying time as my dad learned to find his identity not in what he did as a pastor, but who he was as a man of God.
One afternoon my mom and I sat down at the kitchen table and she said, “We are going to pray for Daddy to get some work because we need groceries.” Later that day we walked out the door only to find that there were groceries waiting for us on our porch.
It takes boldness to pray and believe beyond what you can see.
It takes courage to keep going in the face of adversity.
It takes faith to hold your head up when you could easily be overwhelmed.
Jeremiah, a prophet and the author of Lamentations, speaks confidently through his pain and encourages us with this:
The thought of my suffering and homelessness is bitter beyond words. I will never forget this awful time, as I grieve over my loss. Yet I still dare to hope when I remember this:
The faithful love of the Lord never ends! His mercies never cease. Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each morning. I say to myself,
“The Lord is my inheritance therefore, I will hope in him!”
Lamentations 3:19-24 (NLT)
We can dare to hope when we remember God’s love, God’s mercy and God’s faithfulness. Will you make this day extraordinary and hope in Him?
What are some of your stories of God’s faithfulness? I would love to hear from you!
What a wonderful reminder! Thank you friend. God has used your blogs to really minister to me, thank you for your obedience in writing them.
Your words spur me on Cindy!
My husband and I lost our firstborn son at 22 weeks this past May. We were devastated by the loss and found it difficult to move forward. Over the past 8 months I have grieved in a variety of ways and have found that through each season God has been faithful to meet me where I am. I dare to hope that He will give us another child in the future. I dare to hope that He is currently holding my little boy safe and healthy and happy in His arms. I dare to hope that this won’t be my only story as a mother. I dare to hope that God will change hearts through this dark time…specifically my employer who grieves with me and yet has no hope in a Savior. Thank you for your encouraging words. I needed them today.
Thank you Jana for sharing your story of hope! It means so much to me. I will dare to hope with you for a baby and for the salvation of your employer. I have seen God do miracles for women who have had difficulty conceiving amd women who have lost babies just as you have. Blessings!