Prayer of Hope and Encouragement (Day 4- Hope Against Hope)

Sunday's posts throughout this 31 Day series of "Hope Against Hope" will feature a prayer as we learn to hope against hope and encourage us throughout our journey.

Pray this prayer from your heart.  Pray in sincerity.  Believe you are praying to a God who loves you deeply and desires for you to know Him ever so intimately.  He is beckoning us.  This always amazes me that the God of all creation wants to hear from me and desires to commune with me.  He desires to commune with you also dear reader.  Will you pray to Him today?

Our Heavenly Father, I pray that You enable me to desire You above all things, above every desire of my heart, above every need, above EVERYTHING.  I want You to have preeminence and hold your rightful place in my life.  Help me to seek You first in all things with everything within me.  Nothing trumps knowing I am in right standing with You. When my faith fails me and hoping seems hopeless, remind me that You are for me and Your plans for me are Your best for me.  When the enemy tries to blind me of Your love and impress upon my heart that You've forgotten me, gently remind me that You too felt abandoned by Your Father when You were on the Cross. For me. For us. No matter what I encounter, strengthen me along my journey.  Be with me.  Let there always be a praise for you on my lips simply because of who You are. To You be all the glory.

In Jesus' name.  Amen.

This is Day 4 of a 31 day series of “Hope Against Hope”. To read all of the posts in this series, click here. To read what several other bloggers are writing for the month of October, click here.

Trusting Without Borders {Nuggets of Hope} (Day 3 - Hope Against Hope)

Photo Credit by Nzinga Green

Happy Saturday friends!  I have decided on the weekends instead of writing a lengthy post (I admit I can be quite lengthy at times), to encourage you by sharing a song that has gotten me through some rough times or has really been a blessing to me on Saturdays (Nuggets of Hope) and a prayer  to the One who can handle everything we bring before Him on Sundays (Prayer of Hope and Encouragement).  He can relate.  He too knows suffering.  He wants us to bring Him the good, the bad and the ugly. We were never meant to carry anything alone.

The reason I decided to do this lineup for my weekend posts is simply because I respect family time, rest time, fun times and whatever else you fill your weekends with.

I began sharing the beginning of my story in yesterday's post.  I will continue to share on Monday.

Be blessed with this song "Oceans" by Hillsong UNITED.  This songs takes me IN!  IN to the presence of my Savior, IN to hope more in Him, IN His peace, IN His love, IN His provision...IN!

Trust.Without.Borders.  Without any boundaries, considering not what you hear, see or feel.  Will you join me in learning to trust this way?  To trust a God who never fails?  A God who is for us and is concerned about everything that concerns us.  Feel free to comment below.

This is Day 3 of a 31 day series of “Hope Against Hope”. To read all of the posts in this series, click here. To read what several other bloggers are writing for the month of October, click here.

The Beginning of It All (Day 2- Hope Against Hope)

My husband and I were married in 2003 and we were so in love.  We seriously could not get enough of each other.  I knew God had sent me the man of my dreams.  I knew our love was special.  I knew our love could stand the tests of time.  We took our vows seriously and wanted nothing more than a marriage that honored God.

We didn't experience the commonly dreaded first year of marriage pains; in fact we enjoyed learning our differences, celebrated our uniqueness and laughed at our quirks.

Life was good.  We had good times together.  We focused on learning each other and growing together. Becoming one.

It was important to us to establish ourselves as a couple before bringing kids into the equation.  We both wanted time to travel and to enjoy it being just the two of us.

Finally after about a year and a half into our marriage, we began to talk of having kids.  We felt we were ready.  We had bought our first home, had stable careers and just felt the time was right for us to become parents.

We began praying for children, although our mindset at the time wasn't to 'try' to have kids.  We just knew it would happen.  Before long we noticed a significant amount of time had gone by and conception hadn't happened.

We prayed more.  We prayed HARD.  We found scripture in the Bible to increase our faith, to stand on. The thought never occurred to us maybe this wasn't going to happen for us.  It was supposed to. It had to. After all, we were praying for this.  We believed with everything in us that we were going to be parents. I'm always in awe how children respond to my husband.  He was meant to be a Dad. I have always for as long as I can remember desired to be a Mom.  

There were so many around us conceiving effortlessly.  I was invited to baby shower after baby shower.  I still am.  I silently wondered if I would ever have one of my own.  

The good life my husband and I shared became hard.  Draining.  Unfair.  God was silent on this one.
I didn't feel led to move in any direction.  Just to wait. Just to keep praying.  Just to believe.

I read everything I could get my hands on relative to conceiving.  What to do, how to do it...to no avail.  At this time, I would say we were officially 'trying'.  But nothing was happening!

This desire was so deep my heart ached for it.  I begin to feel inadequate.  Ashamed.  Embarrassed.

"God you have to do this for us", I pleaded.  "Remember us", I continued in prayer.

Photo by Tedy Blessed licensed under Creative Commons

As I aspired to build my faith; as much as I could muster I read the story of Abraham's faith "who against hope believed in hope".  And I wondered how.  I wondered if I can be so intimate with God and believe Him so that even when all seemed hopeless, I would continue to hope.

The story continues...












I hope you will join me.  I hope my story will encourage, strengthen and cause you to hope against hope. Feel free to comment below.

This is Day 2 of a 31 day series of “Hope Against Hope”. To read all of the posts in this series, click here. To read what several other bloggers are writing for the month of October, click here.

Inspired to Hope (Day 1 - Hope Against Hope)

Welcome!  I'm so thankful you are here!  During the month of October, I am linking up with a thousand or so other writers for the write31days challenge.  I chose to write about "Hope Against Hope" as these words have pricked my heart strings over and over again and encouraged me to hope when all seems hopeless.

Be sure to stop by often as I will be updating this page with the links to all of the posts in this series "Hope Against Hope".  I pray you are encouraged and will find hope in the all-sufficient One who makes ALL things possible.

Here is my Day 1 post: Inspired to Hope (Day 1- Hope Against Hope)

Photo by Melanie Tate licensed under Creative Commons 

Hope. Against. Hope.  These words have lingered in my heart over the last few months in such a way that I have felt compelled to share.

I share because it helps me know I'm not isolated in finding hope to indeed be a struggle.  I share to encourage others they are not alone.  I share because I marvel at Abraham who believed in hope against hope (Romans 4:18).  I share because I have to know in my heart and not just in my head that God is the God of impossibilities.  He alone makes all things possible.

I have not arrived in this area of my life.  But I'm striving for growth.  I pray my transparency here will cause others to remove the masks to conceal the hurt, the suffering, the pain that life hands us at times.  I find comfort in knowing no matter what happens in my life, Jesus can relate.  I find it helpful to connect with people who can relate as well.

This hope thing may appear easy, sound silly and seemingly takes no great effort at all on our part. There was a time I thought the same thing.

Please don't take this as boasting in any way, but there have been more times than I can count that things just fell into place.  As a young adult, I sought to attain a degree, I did.  I went back for my Master's degree and I remember the pride I felt walking across that stage.  I wanted to move not too far away from home, but not home exactly and I've established myself in a city near where I grew up. I interviewed for jobs within my professional career and mostly, I landed those jobs.  I didn't really know from my experiences what it felt like to be let down, to have my prayers go unanswered, to feel God was silent.

But I kept living.  And I begin to experience that not all of life is roses and comfort.  Not everything just falls into place.  There are some things we experience that make hope seem impossible.  Even crazy at times.  Maybe this is the point.  Maybe without trials, we would never learn the true meaning of hope.

I will share my story here, battles I have faced on this road called life.  I will share lessons I've gleaned as I study hope, as I study Abraham whose hope glorified God.

I strive to glorify God in this way.  Will you join me for this 31 day series as I write anxiously about what it means to hope against hope?  Are you striving to hope when all seems hopeless?  I would love to connect with you!  Feel free to leave a comment below.

This is Day 1 of a 31 day series of “Hope Against Hope”. To read all of the posts in this series, click here. To read what several other bloggers are writing for the month of October, click here.

This Little Light of Mine, I'm Gonna Let it Shine

Photo: Flickr Creative Commons by Ganesha Balunsat

You're here to be light, bringing out God in the world.  If I make you light-bearers, you don't think I'm going to hide you under a bucket, do you? I'm putting you on a light stand.  Now that I've put you on a hilltop, on a light stand - SHINE! 

Matthew 4:14-16 The Message (emphasis mine) 

Each new year we are faced with change,  unlimited opportunities and second chances.   Many choose to begin a new year with New Year's resolutions.  Honestly,  most of mine have been pretty much the same year after year.  I've failed miserably attempting to set the bar high and keep up with my seemingly endless list of things I want to improve, I want to begin or I want to be more consistent in.  I...I...I!

I decided for 2014 to see where the real problem lies.   What stops me from achieving my goals?   The more I thought about this I discovered I was the problem.  Ouch!  My fears,  inhibitions and anxiety about wanting to be absolutely perfect stood in my way time and time again.   This year sparked a desire for change.  I discovered a website focusing on putting aside those resolutions most can't keep beyond mid-January.  This site encourages you to focus on one word. Sounds intimidating, doesn't it?  How do you choose just one word to focus on every day, all year long?  For me, this task was daunting.   But more so because deep down I knew my word.   I knew where my focus needed to be.  It had nothing to do with me, but superior to anything I can ever attain to be.

Shine is my word for 2014.  My purpose is to reflect the light of the Lover of my soul in every single thing I do.  Sure,  I need work on time management, making healthier choices and saying no without feeling guilty.  The list can go on and on.  Yet my heart knows this is minuscule compared to what really matters. What I could be contributing to my sphere of influence. What my soul needs and my heart desires.

I'll be honest.  This is a scary and intimidating quest.  I want so badly to represent Christ and to shine BIG for Him.  But I realize this is so much BIGGER than me!  I will fail...there are days I just won't get it right. I'll have to fight daily against my own desires and will.   It will take bravery and fearlessness to be His light-bearer.  It will take community and accountability.  It will take mercy and grace.  It will take humility and continual learning of Him.  My prayer is for the Holy Spirit's help to do in me what I can't.

With shine as my focus, I truly believe all other things will fall into place. My focus shifts from me...to Him.  With Him, ALL things are possible.   Things I've aimed to accomplish year after year I have mostly entrusted to myself.  No wonder I've struggled!  I trust this year to His leading, His desires; to make Him known to all I encounter.  The more I seek Him and strive to live for Him, He will grant me everything I need.

I will write as I'm led about my journey of shining for Him.  I hope you
will see Him and be encouraged to seek Him.  Pray for me as I cling to Him.





What is your focus for 2014?  Have you chosen one word to guide you and give this year purpose for you? Join me at oneword365.  I'd love to hear about your journey.  Please share in the comments.

Five Minute Friday: Present

It's often said there is no time like the present.  Do we deem this statement to be true?

The present.  Right now.  Not the days of yesterday nor the days to come.

Again and again, we struggle to appreciate our present path because we sadly live for when that thing happens in the future.  That thing for each of us may be different but our discontentment in the now is the same.

I wish we can enjoy our present we've been given to the full.  I wish we could relish in the gift of now. Without the what-if's, without worry, without fear, but in trusting our Creator knows our path.  He knows us. He knows our desires.  He knows our needs.  He is aware of that thing we long for.

May I challenge you to push through dissatisfaction?  Stop expending so much energy waiting for a better day.   But choose to have a grateful heart for your present gift. Today.

Then and only then will there indeed be no time like the present!

Five Minute Friday: Beautiful

Beautiful Beginnings

Newness.  A fresh start.  Second chances.  

I so desire to be a morning person.  In fact, I envy those who are natural born early risers.   I honestly feel like I'm missing so much of what God wants me to have, experience and hear when I sleep in.  A perfect kickoff would be awakening to a hot cup of tea (with creamer of course) in quiet stillness.  Listening to His voice, with Bible and journal in hand.  A time to hear and respond to His direction for the day.  Sadly, these mornings are often a figment of my imagination.  

But because I've been gifted with yet another beautiful beginning to rise early and spend time in His presence, it is getting easier and easier each day.  But not without being intentional and putting forth effort on my part.  It requires laying aside the night owl and slaying the temptations to be awake until the wee hours of the night.  

I'm getting closer.  I'm beginning a new habit; a new lifestyle.  

Beautiful indeed.  He is making me beautiful.  He is making me like Him.  Each day; a beautiful beginning.