II Timothy 1:7; Psalm 11 - "I Have This Hope"

I woke up to these words of I Have This Hope that Tenth Avenue North sings...

As I walk this great unknown
Questions come and questions go
Was there purpose for the pain?
Did I cry these tears in vain?

I don't want to live in fear
I want to trust that You are near
Trust Your grace can be seen
In both triumph and tragedy

I have this hope
In the depth of my soul
In the flood or the fire
You're with me and You won't let go

These words are so appropriate as I pray for so many going through 'tough' days. We all have a choice to make as to whether we will lean more into God or allow the enemy an open door when facing challenges of life. We can either dig deeper in our faith or fall away from God. There is nothing wrong with questioning God. That is how our faith grows. Asking God 'Why?'; getting angry with Him; crying; etc. are all OK. God made us with emotions and does not expect us to squash them. This morning God took me to Psalm 11. As I read about how David was tempted to distrust God in a time he was in danger, I thought of some I know who have turned from God in their time of turmoil. Sometimes it appears easier to not trust God with our lives than it does to trust him. But that is not true. When we trust Him, we do not have to worry about the decisions we make because He makes them for us. When we trust Him, we receive a peace that is unattainable any other way. Matthew Henry wrote:

The principles of religion are the foundations on which the faith and hope of the righteous are built. We are concerned to hold these fast against all temptations to unbelief; for believers would be undone, if they had not God to go to, God to trust in, and future bliss to hope for. 

When we have God in our life, we have hope. There is hope found in our prayers as we pray for a miracle. There is hope found in soul as we think about eternity with Him for ourselves and others. There is hope as we go through trials because He is always with us. We must not fall away from Him but instead fall more into Him. 

He is Our Hope as we stand upon II Timothy 1:7. 

He is Our Hope as we live a life sold-out to Him. 

He is Our Hope when we do not allow the enemy an open door. 

He is Our Hope as we allow the Holy Spirit to flow in and out of us.

I love the last verse of this chapter in The Passion Translation...

But remember this: the Righteous Lord loves
what is right and just, and every godly one
will come into His presence and gaze upon his face!

The best part of this verse is knowing I don't have to wait to get to heaven to come into His presence. I experience being in His presence every day. There is no better place to live! Oh how I pray for more believers to experience Him in this manner too!

Dear Jesus,

Thank You for Your Word and this song You gave me this morning to encourage my heart to not give up but to fall more into You! Thank You for taking my faith deeper! Thank You for the way You are going to be glorified through the cancer in Doc's body! Father, give him Your strength today physically, mentally, emotionally, financially, and most of all spiritually. I pray the same for myself. Lord, before we can live in Your presence we need You to cleanse us so You can fill us with more of You. May You be our words, actions, and attitude throughout this day. Lord, I pray for so many going through 'tough' days to not just lean into You but to fall into You. I pray for more believers to get to the end of themselves so they can experiencing living in Your presence. I pray for those who are not in relationship with You to find You. Lord, use me to make a difference in people's lives today. Thank You for being with Brother Dan and his team as they are making a difference in lives of people all over the world! Thank You for the example they give on having Hope! Thank You Jesus for being My Hope! Amen.