As I reflected on a photo I took yesterday showing the
smoke from multiple fires in the sunset, I also saw the rays of bright light
shining above. This reminded me of the great hope we have in our God especially
when the things we endure here seem so ominous. Sarah wrote about this for
today in my "Jesus Calling" devotional. I hope to spend more time
reflecting on it later today, but for now to know that my hope does indeed rest
in the name of my Lord. He is my protector and the provider of my strength, just
as He is for all who call upon His name. And as I think on this today, I will
also be mindful of those who are are fighting those fires, those whose homes
might become endangered, and the forests and wildlife that are threatened and
even destroyed. Our God is capable of bringing beauty from ashes, just as a
family we know of has been in the process of experiencing in a very literal way
this week. And as we celebrate at a wedding this afternoon (which itself had to
move its location due to another fire), I am mindful that our God continues to
work and to bless.
Isaiah 61:1-3 The
Spirit of the Lord God is upon me,
because the Lord has anointed me to
bring good news to the afflicted; He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to
proclaim liberty to captives and freedom to prisoners; to proclaim the favorable year of the Lord
and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn, to grant those who
mourn in Zion, giving them a garland instead of ashes, the oil of
gladness instead of mourning, the mantle of praise instead of a spirit of
fainting. So they will be called oaks of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified.
Today in “Jesus Calling” by Sarah Young (7/27)
Hope is a golden cord connecting you to heaven. This cord
helps you to hold your head up high, even when multiple trials are buffeting
you. I never leave your side, and I never let go of your hand. But without the
cord of hope, your head may slump and your feet may shuffle as you journey
uphill with Me. Hope lifts your perspective from your weary feet to the
glorious view you can see from the high road. You are reminded that the road we’re
traveling together is ultimately a highway to heaven. When you consider this
radiant destination, the roughness or smoothness of the road ahead becomes much
less significant. I am training you to hold in your heart a dual focus: My
continual Presence and the hope of heaven.
Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in
prayer. Romans 12:12
But since we belong to the day, let us be self-controlled,
putting on faith and love as a breastplate, and the hope of salvation as a
helmet. 1 Thessalonians 5:8
No comments:
Post a Comment