Holding on to Hope

"Yes, my soul, find rest in God;
    my hope comes from him."  ~ Psalm 62:5

     Hope - the word I have chosen to sow into the New Year has proved to be a challenge this month.  There has been much commotion and activity and I have felt overwhelmed by finding hope in the midst of all of it.  I'm trying to get a handle on how hope works into my day and my life.  Scripture is filled with the promise of it, so I know it is there waiting for me to build upon it.  I have determined then, that in my quiet reading time I will be doing a word/Bible Study on hope and I will journal about it as I go.  I have chosen my words for the new year in the past but I want to make this year more intentional in terms of how I sow that word into my year.  As I prayed about it, I felt the Lord lead me in this direction, so in this direction I will follow His leading. :)

The Strength of Solitude

What a fast paced life.  So much commotion and motion, places to go and things to do!  Sometimes, I feel overwhelmed trying to fit it all in; 'do it all'.  True that things need to be done but it is in the moments of deep solitude that I find the strength to surrender.  Early morning has always been my favorite time, there is something fresh and new about it.  I am reminded of the conversation between Anne and Miss Stacey in Anne of Green Gables: "Tomorrow is fresh a start - with no mistakes in it - yet."  I think that's why I like the morning because the day holds no mistakes.  It holds the promise of God's mercy; new each morning.  Inside the quiet, the solitude, my Savior meets me.  He starts the day fresh, filled with His promises of faithfulness and love.  It is in those moments I find the strength to begin again this journey of continual surrender to His will.  When I look at Jesus, I see that He sought out the solitude, He fasted, He prayed, He spent moments with His Father alone.  How precious those moments are, for in them I find the strength to carry out my day.  From them, I draw the strength to continue my day.  Really it's about rest, not physical rest but spiritual rest, the renewal of my mind as I begin the day anew; centered in His will.  Frances J. Roberts wrote:  "Abiding brings confiding, for to know Me is to trust Me, and trust brings peace.".  Oh yes!  It's about sowing into my relationship with my Father in Heaven, resting in Him and abiding in Him, so my hope will flourish, even as the day progresses!  I can find the strength in those moments of solitude with my Savior, as I have sought His face for the day.  I can abide as I draw strength from Him, trusting in Him. That's what brings the peace.  This peace I can then with me wherever I go and in whatever I do.  How I miss out on the blessing of the relationship with my Savior when I don't embrace this time of solitude with Him.  Essential. Necessary. Habitual.  Powerful.

New Year Word: Hope

A friend of mine started a tradition in her home a few years ago that I decided to adopt as well.  As the New Year approaches, I prayerfully considered what word I want to use to depict 2013.  A few came to me and I struggled with which one fit best.  In the end the word that spoke to me the most was: hope. The Lord has given me the passage in Hebrews 6:9-19 over and over again for the past several months and it is the reason I have started this blog and named it Anchor of the Soul.  This whole passage is truly incredible and there is a lot of meat in it to digest but the verse I have on my blog is verse 19. "This hope we have as an anchor of the soul both sure and steadfast....".  A friend of mine found a plaque with this verse on it and gave it to me for my birthday a few months ago.  I have it on my fireplace mantel.  We also received two more beautiful plaques a few days ago with two verses on it:  Romans 15:13 "May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope."  and another with Hebrews 11:1 "Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see."  These two plaques grace my kitchen walls where I happen to spend a great deal of time! :) I also have two other scripture plaques I have been given that are hanging on my walls as well.  My Aunt made a comment to me a couple of days ago when I expressed how much I love scripture hanging in my home.  She referred to the passage in the Bible that talked about how we are to write the word of God on our door posts and in our hearts. "These words, which I am commanding you today, shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your sons and shall talk of them when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way and when you lie down and when you rise up. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand and they shall be as frontals on your forehead. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates." Deuteronomy 6:6-9  As I looked at what the Lord was speaking to me I began to realize more fully that the word I want to sow into my year in a very intentional way is: HOPE.  I have a few ideas of how I will do this; more study and time in the word but also with a huge emphasis on developing my prayer life more fully as well as committing scripture to memory (this is a hard one for me because my memory is so bad, particularly of late).  I've always struggled with straight memory work since I was young but I also realise that God can be my strength as I commit passage and reference to memory. 

I am very grateful to a God who makes sure I am reminded of His promises in variety of means.  He is the hope and anchor of my soul.  When life makes no sense, trails arise; God is still God and He can be counted on for the hope that is always before me.  So here we go New Year!  I welcome you. :)