July 10 – Promises Lead to Hope

July 10 – Promises Lead to Hope

“Remember your word to your servant, for you have given me hope.  My comfort in my suffering is this: Your promise renews my life.” (Psalm 119:49-50)

When I was young someone gave me a little book filled with promises from Scripture.  There are so many!  I spent hours poring over the book, soaking up the blessings that were promised to me (and to anyone who believes in God).

I’ve long since set aside that little book because I thought it would be easier to just have my Bible with me.  I think I should find it again, though.  It is a wonderful thing to be able to focus on the promises of God over and over when we feel out of sorts with the world.

The Psalms are filled with them, Paul’s letters are filled with them, Jesus words are filled with them and honestly – our lives are filled with God’s promises, but fulfilled and unfulfilled.

If we pay attention to our past, we see the fulfillment of so many promises of God.  Things might not have been all that we expected or hoped for. Even though we would like our lives to be easy and without suffering, the truth of the matter is that we have to find our place in God’s hopes and expectations for our lives.  They are usually so much greater than anything we can imagine.

Then He promises that He will fulfill the desires of our heart.