Wednesday 9 July 2014

Cobblestones of Hope



Today’s stage on the Tour De France is by far the most brutal and the most odd. It’s raining and the roads are wet, the riders are nervous and there are cobble stone sections which is a hazard of note. Already the crashes have begun! My husband and I sit praying for the riders as the road gets tough and the tour gets hard. I smiled with delight to realise our faces are skewed up as we watch and we are praying for people we don’t know to overcome terrain they have voluntarily put themselves in, all to win a cycling race. Guess that’s the compassion of our heart and the sheer desire not to see anyone break bones and waste their life away.

As I was watching the stage (I took a break from it to share this post) I suddenly clicked – that’s right Father, that’s exactly how it is in life! Our walk of faith resembles a road, a bike race if you will. We are not up against anyone else but ourselves, hence the reason why Paul said “I die daily.” We wage the spiritual warfare not only with the dark forces out there but also with what is left of our fleshly natures and while we are cycling merrily along, the scenery and the road surfaces change. One day we are like a happy camper on our bicycle resembling a tourist in the middle of Amsterdam and then sometimes we may find ourselves on a very slippery road of cobblestones with the rain falling in our faces and the spray of the passing traffic fogging up our eyesight. This is life but the hard roads and the unkept surfaces don’t need to take us off our bikes and leave us with broken collarbones. The hard surfaces can strengthen us in the three areas Paul calls the most important, the areas of faith, hope and love.


I don’t write this to you without having travailed through the cobblestones just the past 2 weeks, but I have realised the blessing of “singing in the rain.” God can carry us through, if we only surrender to Him in trust and we carry the flame of hope within our hearts, a flame small at first but large enough to start a fire. I know that we each one have a different walk to walk and road to take and that’s the exciting part of life – that our roads are all so different. However, there will be times of sadness, sorrow, heartache, suffering or pain... here’s what God promises us though..


Jeremiah 31: 16 – 17

Thus says YHWH: “Keep your voice from weeping, and your eyes from tears, for there is a reward for your work..
And there is HOPE for your future..


Matthew 28:20

Behold, I am with you all the days (perpetually, uniformly, and on every occasion), to the [very] close and consummation of the age. Amen!



What the world has taught us about hope stands in contrast to the biblical definition and understanding of hope. Hope in the Bible is all about trusting God despite what your eyes can see. Hope is all about knowing, not just intellectually but in your heart as well, that no matter what there is going to be a glorious end in sight despite the current circumstances. Hope is the belief in something that is unseen; it is the anchor that holds the soul tight even when the rain is falling. Hope is the belief that there is a light switch in the room and it will be turned on, even when you are shrouded in darkness and unsure of where to find it. Hope is not pressed upon us; it is given to us as a gift, it is endowed upon the tables of our hearts by Gods precious Hand. 


Hope brings joy; it replaces tears and feeds the spirit with Love. In whatever season you may find yourself friend, I pray that hope will be a part of your journey because inevitably while we watch the crashing riders slip in the rain, it will end because there is a finish line for today. In your circumstances the pain and sorrow will likewise end because at some point there is a finish line and the promise that while you traverse life’s realities – Yeshua our Messiah has already promised that He is riding it with you always even until the end of this current age, that is a promise without a time frame or expiration date. I can almost see the angels gathered around the throne watching some of Gods children riding a very slippery road in adversity. God can tell what they are thinking – they are nervous, is this child going to make it? God smiles “don’t worry – she is going to make it, I am with her, today’s adversity she has to get through because tomorrow it will be her victory!”
May hope in God and His Love be the wind that causes your legs to keep on going, keep on going, keep on going....


 I’m having Coffee For Your Heart with my friend Holley Gerth
And
Having Coffee with Winter

4 comments:

  1. Thanks for this great reminder of the Hope we rest in! As I read about you and your husband praying for the cyclists, I thought of all those who pray for me in my everyday race. I know I take that for granted. And so I'm challenged to pray for others in their journeys today- on their smooth streets and furrowed fields. Thanks for this! Blessings from your neighbour at Holley Gerth's place :)

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    1. Hello Neighbor!! :))) Thanks for stopping by! You have really blessed me today by your comment and reminder - I know many people are praying for me daily too and I am stopping today to say thank you for them and for the "team support" for my road too! How blessed we are! Many blessings and thank you for visiting today!

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  2. One of my favorite things about blogging is how the Lord brings different, but consistent lessons to me on a daily basis as I read fellow bloggers posts.

    Today's lesson seems to be hope. I am not seeking out posts that appear to talk about hope, but it "just so happens". But we know with God there is no "just so happens", but that He works through all avenues to speak into our lives.

    I know I've read that Jeremiah verse before, but tonight it really jumped out at me.

    “Keep your voice from weeping, and your eyes from tears, for there is a reward for your work..
    And there is HOPE for your future..

    "Reward for your work and there is hope for your future" really struck me and caused me to ponder and reflect.

    Thanks so much for sharing and being a part of the Lord's ministry to me. :-)

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    1. Hey Karen! So blessed to meet you and read your post here, Its amazing as this is an older post but I felt to re-read it and re - share it and it blessed me and now it was just what God wanted for you! This truly blesses me, you have no idea. The scripture you shared has blessed me as well, particularly for the season I find myself in as well, I am going to look up the verse you mentioned. I receive this as a huge blessing. May Father continue His ministry to you and may we continue to hope in Him in all things! Much love!

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