Hope Rises

The faithfulness of God is as evident as the blue of the sky when our hearts are open to see.

His faithfulness surrounds us at every turn. It is in the warmth of a hug when life has hit you hard. His faithfulness is in the kiss of a spouse when you are fully known and fully loved. It is in the laugh of a child that you prayed about for years before they arrived. It is in the dollar handed out of the window at the street light on the corner. It is in a hot meal dished out at the shelter down the street. It is in the kindness of a teacher holding the hand of a lonely child. It is in the flowers on the headstone of the one you loved the most in this world. His faithfulness surrounds us so deeply, so intentionally, and so intimately that we must be keenly in tune with ourselves and our Maker to notice.

When we stumble carelessly through our days, it is easier to focus on what we see right in front of us, rather than focusing in on what our eyes cannot behold. 

Awakening to the vision of God’s faithfulness doesn’t happen through the eyes, but rather through the soul.

Maybe you don’t see the faithfulness of God today. Maybe the bills are piled up or the heat doesn’t work or the kids are sick. Maybe the addiction is knocking on the door or you have no place to lay your head. Maybe tragedy struck and breath seems to escape your lungs. Maybe everyone has walked out on you or you have walked out on them. Regardless of how things look today, I’m here to tell you that His faithfulness is not simply evidenced in our circumstances.

His faithfulness came for you. His faithfulness lived a perfect life for you. His faithfulness died on a cross for you. His faithfulness defeated death for you. His faithfulness rose from the grave for you. His faithfulness is still coming for you so that you too can rise. His faithfulness is encompassed in His name…Jesus.

I have been in the bottom of more pits than I can recount, but in the bottom of each one I found Him with hope in hand; the kind of hope that rises above the pits and brings you along. His hope rises in us as we rise with Him from death to life. His hope rises in us when we call on His name from the bottom of our pit.

The evidence of His faithfulness is the fact that He shows up in your pit to hand over hope and lift you out.  

He is so good and so faithful to meet us where we are but He loves us too much to leave us where He finds us. And that alone, my friends, is a reason to be glad. He loves you too much to leave you in the pit.

“I have told you these things, so that in me <Jesus> you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33, emphasis added)

© Dani Hardy (January 16, 2019)

References

“I have told you these things, so that in me <Jesus> you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33, emphasis added) (Holy Bible)