“Why are you cast down, O my soul? And why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God; For I shall yet praise Him, The help of my countenance and my God” Psalm 43:5
A couple of weeks ago, before our recent snowfall, I looked out the window into our backyard. The grass was brown and the trees were bare. The bird feeder was empty and uninviting. (We fill it when the ground is covered with snow.)
It was a depressing scene, and yet I saw hope. In a few months the trees will have buds and the grass will turn green again. The birds will return to their nests and baby birds will learn to fly.
I know there is hope in the dead of winter because spring will come again. Every year. Without fail, the cold days will become warm again.
The weather seasons will change, but sometimes the seasons of life feel long and drawn out.
I can’t imagine what it’s like to go through life without knowing Jesus.
With Jesus, I know I’m not alone and that no matter how long winter seems to last, I know it will not go on forever.
Without winter, there would be no spring.
Without death, there would be no resurrection.
Without the valley, I wouldn’t see the mountain.
Without the hard days, I wouldn’t enjoy the good days.
Without chaos, I wouldn’t appreciate the quiet days.
Without Jesus, there would be no light to break through the darkness.
I don’t know what season of life you’re walking through, but I encourage you to not give up.
The calendar pages turn and the new life of spring will be here before we know it.
God is most certainly at work, whether we can see it or not. Life seasons change, often much slower or quicker than we would like. But in every season there is hope.
Because of Jesus, there is always hope. And hope changes everything.
By Laura Rath
Used by Permission
From https://laurarath.blogspot.ca/
Further Reading
• HOPE – A Devotional by Gail Rodgers
• A Poem of Hope – By Helena Fehr
• The God of Hope – by Helen Lescheid