Tag: Hope

Why, my soul, are you downcast?

by Innermost Being, posted in Man of Lawlessness

These days, my soul is often downcast. Why am I sad? Why am I angry? Why am I worried?

I am sad because this is not the country I once knew. I can’t count on her anymore.

I am sad because people will starve to death and suffer from preventable diseases because the US will no longer use its immense resources to help those in need.

I am sad because the government treats immigrants inhumanely and denies them the right to due process.

I am angry at the lawlessness, selfishness, cruelty, and deception.

I am angry because Christians are complicit.

I worry because this is only the start of his lawlessness.

My pastor said that emotions are terrible masters. There is nothing wrong with having emotions, but you can’t let them  control you. No matter what you’re feeling, God will meet you where you are.

Why, my soul, are you downcast?
    Why so disturbed within me?
Put your hope in God,
    for I will yet praise him,
    my Savior and my God.

Psalm 42:11

My pastor reminded us not to forget what God has done. Stay grounded in your faith.

Only be careful, and watch yourselves closely so that you do not forget the things your eyes have seen or let them fade from your heart as long as you live. Teach them to your children and to their children after them.

Deuteronomy 4:9

My soul is downcast within me, Lord. But I must remember that I am rooted and established in your love. You are faithful. You will never leave me. Lord Jesus, you are my hope. You are the light in the darkness. Holy Spirit, restore my soul. Renew a steadfast spirit in me.

My soul hopes and groans

by Innermost Being, posted in Man of Lawlessness

My Bible study group is reading The Hope of Heaven: How the Promise of Heaven Changes Everything by Sheila Walsh. In the study guide that accompanies the book, Walsh introduced the Greek word στενάζω (stenazo) for the chapter dealing with disappointment. Stenazo means to groan or sigh inwardly. It can also mean to grumble or complain.

Stenazo perfectly captures how I am feeling these days. I cry out to God in frustration.

It’s hard to hang onto hope. It’s hard to be at peace. It’s hard not to fear the worst. It’s hard not to be angry at the betrayal by people who claim to follow Christ.

Yes, I have hope for myself because I have been promised eternal life in a place where there is no pain and suffering. But I have to live in this broken world now. On a daily basis, I hear about the cruelty and lawlessness perpetrated by a man who has rejected God’s commandment that we love one another, even our enemies, the man who insulted a woman of God for pleading with him to have mercy.

A couple of days ago, I told a Christian friend that my husband used to go to church with me occasionally. I told her that with the current political environment, he refuses to go. She said, “Really. I’m in seventh heaven.” She started to say more but stopped herself. I groaned inwardly.

My heart breaks. My soul groans.

I am disappointed in Christians who voted for an evil man. I find solace in knowing I am not alone. I have Christian allies – people who are not afraid to speak out against Trump’s wickedness, people who refuse to bow down, people who remain faithful followers of Christ.

So as I groan inwardly and cry out to God in frustration, I put my hope in Christ alone, the King of kings.

Revelation 17:13-14 NIV
They have one purpose and will give their power and authority to the beast. They will wage war against the Lamb, but the Lamb will triumph over them because he is Lord of lords and King of kings—and with him will be his called, chosen and faithful followers.”

I groan inwardly, but trust that Christ, the Lord of lords, will ultimately triumph over evil.

Don’t misplace your hope

by Innermost Being, posted in Living in Exile

In a recent sermon series on living in exile, two of the sermons touched on hope. One was titled, Exile is Where Hope Lives. The second was titled, Surprised by Hope, but the gist of it was to not place your hope on earthly things.

My pastor said that we are easily tempted to misplace our hope. We think we can make the world the way we want it to be. We grip the world so tightly. We need to let go.

My pastor steers clear of politics, so he can’t say things plainly. He has to be subtle and hope that his message comes through.

I am not so constrained.

Americans were easily misled. Christians were easily led astray. Millions of people put their hopes for the future in a con man. DJT promised to solve all our problems. Only he can fix it! He has promised to reduce inflation, to create jobs, and to cure imaginary social ills. He has promised to punish our enemies, to make our allies pay, and to throw out the brown skinned people who are taking our jobs and supposedly making our country more dangerous.

Millions of Americans believe that with his power, DJT can make the world the way they want it to be. Make America Great Again! Restore Christian values! (But turn a blind eye to dear leader’s immorality.)

The Bible says that many live as enemies of the cross of Christ. Their destiny is destruction. Their god is their appetite. Their glory is in their shame. How shameful it is to say vile, hateful things while courting Christians!

We need to let go of this world and put our hope in God. Our citizenship is in heaven.

For, as I have often told you before and now tell you again, even with tears, many live as enemies of the cross of Christ. Their destiny is destruction, their god is their stomach, and their glory is in their shame. Their mind is set on earthly things. But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ…

Philippians 3:18-20

Hope in Christ helps us let loose of our grip on false hopes. Hope in Christ keeps us from falling into despair when our hopes are dashed. The return of Christ is our ultimate hope.

Of course, no one knows when Christ will return. So, in the meantime, we must live in this world yet not get overly attached to it. Where the world touches us, let it be lightly.

Wear the world like a loose garment, which touches us in a few places and there lightly.

St. Francis of Assisi

It may  come as a surprise that you can still have hope when you are living in exile. But if you don’t misplace your hope in the first place, you can hang onto it no matter what happens.

Hope is found in exile

by Innermost Being, posted in Living in Exile, Uncategorized

Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego could have bowed down to King Nebuchadnezzar’s gods to avoid the furnace and save their lives. They chose to be faithful regardless of the consequences.

Then Nebuchadnezzar said, “Praise be to the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, who has sent his angel and rescued his servants! They trusted in him and defied the king’s command and were willing to give up their lives rather than serve or worship any god except their own God.

Daniel 3:28

Our lives are built around ease and comfort. We do everything we can to avoid the furnaces of life – the dangerous, difficult places.

Sometimes, the places or situations we want to avoid are  the places we meet God and find hope. God is with us in the flames!

We do not need to defend ourselves. We do not need to fight the battles. God is able to deliver us in every situation.

God did not deliver Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego from the furnace. He delivered them in the furnace.

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,

1 Peter 1:3 NIV

Lord, I worry needlessly in these trying times about the schemes of the wicked. You are with me. You are my living hope.

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 comfort me.

Psalm 23:4

Contentment

by Innermost Being, posted in Word Prompts

Earlier this year, a Day One prompt asked a really good question:

What positive emotion do you feel most often?

My normal emotional state is contentment. Contentment doesn’t mean that I have everything I want. Contentment doesn’t mean everything is going well in my life. Contentment is not dependent on the circumstances.

Daniel Cordaro asked, What if you pursued contentment rather than happiness? Cordaro quoted Dr. Dorji Wangchuk, who said that contentment is “the highest achievement of human well-being.”

Cordaro shared the origin of the word contentment.

The root of the word contentment comes from the Latin contentus, which means “held together” or “intact, whole.”

Contentus asks the question, “How whole do you feel inside? How complete are you as a human being?”

Daniel Cordaro

Cordaro and his team concluded that human beings use two strategies to achieve well-being – what they called a More Strategy and an Enough Strategy. The More Strategy is used by people who try to achieve happiness by getting more of something external – more money, more stuff, more recognition, etc.

King Solomon would surely have agreed that the “more strategy” is pointless. In the book of Ecclesiastes, Solomon, a man of great wisdom, concluded that striving for wealth and achievement is meaningless, like chasing after the wind.

I denied myself nothing my eyes desired;
    I refused my heart no pleasure.
My heart took delight in all my labor,
    and this was the reward for all my toil.
Yet when I surveyed all that my hands had done
    and what I had toiled to achieve,
everything was meaningless, a chasing after the wind;
    nothing was gained under the sun.

Ecclesiastes 2:10-11 (NIV)

People who find the source of well-being within themselves practice the Enough Strategy. Their lives have value regardless of wealth, social status, or achievement.

To be content means you have enough, regardless of what is going on around you. Contentment means being satisfied with your lot in life.

To be content regardless of circumstances, I process all the emotions I experience – good or bad – and find the strength within myself to manage them. Circumstances may get me down, but I can’t stay down. I change the circumstances if I can. I adjust my expectations. I practice gratitude. I never give up hope.

My source of well-being isn’t just within myself; I believe in a higher power. God has promised to work things out for the good of those who love him. I put my trust in him.

The Apostle Paul understood the “enough strategy.” He was beaten and imprisoned for spreading the gospel, yet learned to be content.

I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.

Philippians 4:11-12

I have been through some trials this year. I expect the next few years to be difficult. Even so, it is well with my soul. I am holding myself together. I have much to be thankful for. I have hope.