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Archive for August, 2010

Hope Thou in God

Posted in Spiritual, tagged , , , on August 26, 2010 | Leave a Comment »


“Why art thou cast down, O my soul?  And why art thou disquieted within me?  HOPE THOU IN

GOD:  for I shall yet praise Him who is the health of my countenance, and my God.”

In one of our recent devotional readings, I was very much inspired by this phrase and determined to see

what all I could find about it in the Scriptures.  And what a lot I found!

This encouraging directive given by the Psalmist through Divine inspiration is repeated three times in    Psalm 42:5;  42:11; and 43:5  To express it in our very modern English, we might say to ourselves, “O, my soul!  Why are you so depressed?  Why so stressed out?  YOU PUT YOUR HOPE IN GOD, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God.”

To begin, I decided to confirm the official definition of the word “HOPE” (which just happens to be my middle name!)  As a verb, it means “to desire with expectation of fulfillment; to place confidence; rely.”

As a noun, it means “desire accompanied by expectation of fulfillment; confidence; trust.”  Biblical hope is not a matter of temperament, nor is it conditioned by prevailing circumstances or any human possibilities.  It does not depend upon what a man possesses, upon what he may be able to do for himself, nor upon what any other human being may do for him.  For example, there was nothing in the situation in which Abraham found himself to justify his hope that Sarah would give birth to a son, but because he believed in God, he could ‘against hope believe in hope.” Or, “building on hope in spite of hopeless circumstances, he had faith…” (Rom. 4:18 Williams Trans.) Biblical hope is therefore inseparable from faith in God.  It is not merely a wish or a want but, rather, a confident expectation.  “For in You, O Lord, do I HOPE:  You will hear, O Lord my God.” (Ps. 38:15)

As one commentator stated, “Hope is not a kite at the mercy of the changing winds, but an “anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast” penetrating deep into the invisible eternal world.”  (Heb. 6:19)

Many times David expressed his hope in the Lord:  “Be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart, all you that HOPE in the Lord.”   “You are my hiding place and my shield; I HOPE in Your word.” (Ps. 31:24; 119:114)

The prophet, Jeremiah, declared that the one whose hope was the Lord was a blest one indeed.  “Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, and whose HOPE the Lord is.  For he shall be as a tree planted by the waters, and that spreads out her roots by the river, and shall not see when heat comes, but her leaf shall be green;  and shall not be anxious in the year of drought, neither shall cease from yielding fruit.” (Jer. 17:7,8)

Even in his lamentations, Jeremiah emphasized the hope he had in God:  “This I recall to my mind, therefore I have HOPE.  It is of the Lord’s mercies that we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not.  They are new every morning;  great is Your faithfulness.  The Lord is my portion, says my soul;  therefore will I HOPE in Him.  The Lord is good unto them who wait for Him, to the soul that seeks Him.  It is good that a man should both HOPE and quietly wait for the salvation of the Lord.” (Lam. 3:21-26)

There are many answers to the question, “For what do we hope?”  Considering it in the light of Spiritual realities, we all hope for Mercy, Grace, Forgiveness of Sin, Deliverance, Restoration, Help, Eternal Life, Return of Christ and Resurrection, Heavenly Inheritance, to be perfected in the image of Christ.

Turning to the New Testament, the Apostle Paul averred that “We are saved by HOPE; but HOPE that is seen is not HOPE; for what a man sees, why does he yet HOPE for? But if we HOPE for what we do not see, then do we with patience wait for it.” To the Church at Galatia he wrote: “for we through the Spirit wait for the HOPE of righteousness by faith.’ (Rom. 8:24,25; Gal. 5:5)

Paul wanted us to know the “HOPE of eternal life which God, Who cannot lie, promised before the ages…..That, being justified by His grace, we should be made heirs according to the HOPE of eternal life.” (Titus 1:2; 3:7)

He wanted us to know the “HOPE of our calling;” to have our “faith grounded and settled in the HOPE of the Gospel;” to be aware of the Hope of the Resurrection;  the Hope which is laid up for us in heaven. “Looking for that blessed HOPE and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Savior Jesus Christ Who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us…” and “…set your HOPE perfectly on the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.”

(Eph. 1:17-19;  4:4; 1 Thess. 4:13-18; Col. 1:5; Titus 2:13; 1 Pet. 1:13)

Jesus Christ Himself is our Hope, the “HOPE of Glory” Who dwells in all who, having received Him, have become the children of God.  “Beloved, now we are the children of God, and it does not yet appear what we shall be, but we know that, when He shall appear, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is.  And every man who has this HOPE in him purifies himself, even as He is pure.” (1 Tim. 1:1; John 1:12; 1 John 3:2,3)

We are constantly encouraged to continue to put our hope and trust in our Heavenly Father Who loves, cares, and provides for His children, and to maintain that “confident expectation” of the fulfillment of all of His gracious promises.  “HOPE THOU IN GOD!”

“Now the God of all HOPE
fill you with all JOY and PEACE in the believing,
that you may abound in HOPE
through the power of the Holy Spirit.”

(Romans 15:13)

In Agape, Eulene

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God’s Mysterious Ways

Posted in Spiritual, tagged , , , , , on August 12, 2010 | Leave a Comment »


Dear Friends,

There is an interesting statement in Romans 14:7 that is an oft quoted adage:  “For none of us lives to himself, and no one dies to himself.”

How often is that an applicable reality in the little events of everyday life.  I have often been awed by the thought of a person’s life and accomplishments being read about, discussed, and having a profound influence, sometimes even centuries later.  From the lives of the Old Testament worthies, the New Testament believers, and the poets, prophets and sages throughout the ages – those who would never have thought of the extent of their influence – we still glean inspiration and truth.

One such person that has captured our attention is a prolific poet by the name of William Cowper who lived from 1731 to 1800, a contemporary of John Wesley and George Whitefield, the leaders of the Evangelical Revival in England.   I’m sure that Cowper would never have imagined in his wildest dreams what influence his life and words would have on the other side of the world 200 years after his demise.

William’s mother died when he was only six.  His relationship with his father was one of rejection and estrangement.  Beginning at the youthful age of 21, William was overtaken by recurring bouts of paralyzing and suicidal depression that haunted him most of his life.  At the age of 32 he was committed to an insane asylum where there fortunately was a Christian doctor who showed great love and concern for Cowper and repeatedly held out HOPE to him.  Upon ‘providentially’ finding a Bible one day, reading the story of the resurrection of Lazarus, seeing “in our Saviour’s conduct so much benevolence, mercy, goodness, and sympathy with miserable men,” and then the wonderful assurance of Romans 3:25, he had a marvelous encounter with the Lord.  After his release, he lived for the remainder of his life under the devoted ministry of John Newton, the author of  “Amazing Grace” about whom we wrote in our last letter.

An account of one of his many ‘failed’ attempts at suicide has endured, no doubt because of the surprising outcome:  One day he ordered a cab, instructing the driver to take him to London Bridge.  On their way, a dense fog settled down over the city.  The cabby wandered about for a couple of hours, and then admitted that he was lost.  Cowper asked him if he thought he could find the way home.  The cabby thought that he could and, in another hour, landed him at his door.  When Cowper asked what the fare would be, the driver felt that he should not take anything since he had not gotten his fare to his destination.  Cowper insisted, saying, “Never mind that;  you have saved my life!  I was on my way to throw myself off of London Bridge and end it all!”

Cowper then went into the house, sat down and wrote the words of what has become one of his most enduring legacies – a hymn that tops my list of favorites.  Read the words carefully:-

God moves in a mysterious way His wonders to perform;
He plants His footsteps in the sea, And rides upon the storm.

Deep in unfathomable mines Of never-failing skill,
He treasures up His bright designs, And works His sovereign will.

You fearful saints, fresh courage take, The clouds you so much dread
Are big with mercy, and shall break In blessings on your head.

Judge not the Lord by feeble sense, But trust Him for His grace;
Behind a frowning providence He hides a smiling face.

His purposes will ripen fast, Unfolding every hour;
The bud may have a bitter taste, But sweet will be the flower.

Blind unbelief is sure to err, And scan His work in vain;
God is His own interpreter, And He will make it plain.

In David’s psalms, he often admonishes his soul (the seat of his emotions):  “Why are you cast down, O my soul?  And why have you become disturbed within me?  HOPE IN GOD, for I shall yet praise Him for the HELP OF HIS PRESENCE…All of your waves and your breakers have gone over me;  YET the Lord will command His loving-kindness in the daytime, and in the night His song shall be with me, and my prayer unto the God of my life.” (Psalm 42)

Now may the God of HOPE
fill you with all joy and peace in believing,
that you may abound in HOPE
by the power of the Holy Spirit.

(Romans 15:13, NKJV)

In Agape, Eulene

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God’s “Bow in the Cloud”

Posted in Family & Friends, Spiritual, tagged , , , , , on August 1, 2010 | 1 Comment »


Dear Ones,

Who has not stood in awe at the sight of the arch of glorious colors that appears in the sky when the sun shines after a rain shower?  It forms in that part of the sky opposite the sun.  If the rain has been heavy, the bow may spread all the way across the sky, and its two ends seem to rest on the earth.

As sometimes happens, a heavy shower may be followed by a “double” rainbow arching across the sky. That always provokes a sense of awe, knowing the Biblical beginnings of the “bow in the cloud.”

Science tells us that the raindrops act as tiny prisms and mirrors to break up sunlight into colors of the spectrum and send colored light back to our eyes.  The reflection, refraction, and diffraction of the sun’s rays as they fall on drops of rain cause this interesting phenomenon.  These processes produce all the colors of the color spectrum – violet, indigo blue, green, yellow, orange, and red.  However, the colors of a rainbow blend into each other so that an observer rarely sees more than four or five clearly.  Each drop forms many colors.  But the color that reaches our eyes from a particular drop depends on the angle between it and the line formed by the sun’s rays.  Many raindrops, each sending colored light at certain angles, form the rainbow.

Sunlight is a combination of all colors.  Different wave-lengths of light exhibit different colors.  You see the rainbow when the sun is behind you and the rain is in front of you.  As a ray passes into a drop of rain, the water acts like a prism.

We know from Scripture that the first rainbow was seen immediately after the great flood of Noah’s day.  It was the sign that God gave Noah of the covenant which He had made with mankind that never again would the earth be destroyed by the waters of a flood. (Gen. 9:13-15)

We have experienced “cloud-bursts” of rain when the water has run off the roof like a waterfall, and flowed down the driveway like a river, leaving bumpy channels in the gravel.  But no matter how heavy a rainfall, or spectacular a cloudburst; or no matter how devastating the floods from torrential rains as other parts of the country have recently experienced, we can be very confident that the earth will never again be subjected to a catastrophic flood like the one which destroyed the earth in Noah’s day.

I find it interesting that the rainbow is mentioned only in the first and the last books of the Bible:-  the passage in Genesis,  and in Revelation 4:3 where John tried to describe his vision of the “throne” and “a rainbow round about the throne.”  It is all something which we have yet to understand.

Unusual rainbows have been part of our own experience of blessing.  Twenty-five years ago, our precious 25-year old daughter died very suddenly.   On our way home from the examiner’s office on a crisp February day, we looked up to see a glorious rainbow arched across the sky, and it spoke to us of God’s faithfulness.  Rainbows do not normally appear in our part of Canada in February!!   Then just nine years ago, again in February, we noticed another beautiful rainbow, and wondered about it.  That night, the Lord called Home our lovely and talented 21-year old grand-daughter.  The rainbow again reminded us of God’s great faithfulness in the midst of sorrow and pain.

An unknown poet has written about the rainbow, and the meaning of its colors, reminding us that God’s Love “weaves the perfect light” through all the experiences of life.  Like the Master Weaver, He sees the need for ALL the colors in His infinite design.  And would we remove a single one?  No, we would wait to see the finished Divine Work of Art.

Meditate on these words:

A raveled rainbow overhead
Lets down to earth its varying thread:
Love’s blue, joy’s gold;  and fair between
Hope’s shifting light of emerald green.

On either side in deep relief
A crimson pain, a violet grief.
Would you amid their gleaming hues
Snatch after those, and these refuse?

Believe, could your anointed eyes
Follow their lines, and sound the skies,
There where the fadeless glories shine
Your unseen Saviour twists the twine!

And you be sure what tint soe’er
The broken ray beneath may wear,
IT NEEDS THEM ALL that, fair and white,
HIS LOVE may weave the PERFECT LIGHT.

From Poems of Dawn © 1912

In Agape, Eulene

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