Tag: friends

How to Find Hope

On By vickleaIn Christmas, prayer request, Scripture, testimony, YouVersion AppLeave a comment

From the YouVersion Bible App Devotional, “Advent, Day 5”

3 Practical Ways to Find Hope

In the Bible, hope is the wholehearted, evidence-based conviction that God is making the future better than the past or present.

Hope isn’t a vague positivity or a naive optimism. Instead, true hope acknowledges the pain, problems, and dysfunctions of our world. Hope knows the worst life has to offer yet still believes God can and will create a better future.

Hope is like a lighthouse on a dark, stormy night. It doesn’t make the waves go away, but it does offer you direction and a reason to keep going.

The Bible has quite a few stories about light and darkness. Early in the Bible, God leads His people through the wilderness using a pillar of fire at night and a pillar of smoke during the day. These people had been slaves, and now they were walking across a barren desert. Yet they could have hope because they knew God was leading them to a new and better future.

But what about today? We don’t have divine pillars of smoke or fire to follow when we’re low on hope. So where do we look to find hope?

1. We find hope in friends.

When we’re feeling hopeless, we can turn to trusted people who can lend us their hope. So if you’re searching for hope, include others. Their words, stories, and guidance could be exactly what you need to renew your confidence in God’s plan.

2. We find hope in our stories.

Look back to who you were before you knew Jesus. What’s different about you? How do you live, think, and act differently? Avoid letting exceptionally bad days define your journey with Jesus. Instead, try to see the big picture. Reflecting on God’s work in your past can give you hope for your future.

3. We find hope in God’s story.

The Christmas story is one of the main events in God’s big story. In the story, we see Jesus, who is God, choose vulnerability and humility to show us His love. So when you feel hopeless about the direction of the world or the direction of your life, remember that God will do whatever it takes to make all things new.

Of course, none of these three ways to find hope are quite as dramatic as a divine pillar of fire, but they can serve the same purpose. They remind us God is present, even when life is hard. And they help us keep moving forward with confidence, no matter what storms we’re facing.

When we cling to others, reflect on our stories, and explore Scripture, we can expect to find hope. But hope can also come from unexpected places. So keep your eyes open for hopeful moments all around you.

Pause and Pray:

Lord, please be a light to me as You were to Your people in the wilderness. Thank You for dying for me while I was still a sinner so I could be united with You. Help me to set my hope on You. In Your name, amen.

My Thoughts

I cannot imagine what it would have been like to have God going before me in a pillar of cloud or fire. I suspect that I may have been so awestruck that I would not have been able to move at all unless someone else prodded me to do so.

Since we don’t have God visibly present in this way, we need to tune our spirits to see Him in other ways. We can see Him in others, in our own testimony about the past and in His Word. I think that I mostly depend on God’s Word for assurance and hope for the future. I do have friends, but most don’t know me intimately and I am not in frequent contact with anyone except our daughter. I do know that contact is important because God created us to be social beings. Thus, when I need that personal contact, I reach out to others with a phone call or a text. I have members of our small group from church who check on me and my husband often, just to make sure that we are okay and don’t need anything. And we do the same for them. It’s all about connections, isn’t it?

That’s why it’s important to connect to God and to stay that way. We shouldn’t be wandering off into the wilderness of life without Him right there with us.

Now, another prayer request. My daughter’s friend Desiree is in the hospital in Pittsburgh. She discovered this week that she has a large mass in her brain. She had brain surgery yesterday and the doctors think that there are other “specks” that they weren’t able to remove. She is having tests today. Please pray for Desiree, her husband Joel and their four children. The youngest is only eight and the oldest is fourteen. If you follow me on Facebook, I posted a GoFundMe photo of them all together. The youngest child is the most distraught and Hope, my daughter, says she is crying a lot or screaming in frustration because she wants her mommy. Joel is with Desiree, and his mom is taking care of the kids. I know that this situation didn’t surprise God, but it certainly surprised this young family, and they need as many prayers as they can get. Thank you in advance for remembering them. Please pray that God will be close to them all and give them hope.

Sharing the Burden of Life

On By vickleaIn Scripture, YouVersion AppLeave a comment

Let’s be honest. Life is not always easy; it just isn’t. We are going along on what we think is a smooth road and suddenly there are rocks there or raging water to cross over and the bridge is out. What do we do? As part of a community, we call for help. We may pick up our phone and call for prayer. Or we may tell someone about our dilemma and ask for their help with the problem. We were not meant to walk through life alone. Jesus had His twelve disciples and we have family and friends. The first thing I do when I encounter a problem is pray and then enlist others in my circle to pray with me and for me. I am sad that there are those who don’t know Jesus and who don’t have a circle of friends on whom they can call for help.

I went to visit my sister in NC a couple of weeks ago and I am sad that she has no friends there and is basically isolated. Her daughter and granddaughter visit occasionally but mostly she is alone all day, with the TV on constantly to keep her company. Please join me in prayer for her to find a friend. I know that it seems a difficult thing since she doesn’t go anywhere except to doctors and doesn’t socialize at all. But God is the God of the impossible, and I am believing for a friend for her, someone that she can talk to, relate with and feel a part of a community with. I would like to hope that she would step out of her comfort zone and go to church or a meeting with other elderly women, but she is adamant that she is not doing that. So I know that God will have to work a miracle and either help her change her choices or send someone to her that will befriend her.

I have decided that I will call her more often myself, knowing that the conversation will be long because she is so lonely, but also knowing she needs that human contact, even if it’s only over the phone lines. We all need someone with whom we can share the burden of life. Jesus promised to help us carry our burdens and I think one of the ways He does that is to provide friendships and fellowship with others. I am thankful for my husband, my children and my friends, all of whom check on me and make sure that I am safe and well. I want my sister to have that peace of mind that comes when you know that you are not totally forgotten. Thank you for your prayers for Ann today.

Made For Community

Have you ever worked in a group with other people who only slowed down your progress? A lot of people actually prefer working alone so that they can manage priorities the way they want. While this may be a good method in some cases, it’s not usually the best way to live.

From the very beginning of creation, God created us to be in relationship with other people. We are created for community and friendship, and God intended for us to work together and help each other through life.

And yet— a lot of people live their life in isolation from others. They believe that as long as they have Jesus, they don’t need anybody else. But you and Jesus can’t make it through life alone. You were created to share life with others.

The writer of Ecclesiastes tells us that there are many things that one person cannot do alone. We need others to help us when we fall. We need others to encourage us when we’re down. We need people to accomplish tasks in life that are greater than us.

Most people who have gone through difficult seasons of life wish there had been someone to walk alongside them. We long for connection and community.

This is how God designed us—we were created to share the burdens of life together. 

God created the Church to be a community of people who all love God and love others. When we find community within the people of God, we will also find people who can walk through life together with us. You don’t have to walk through life alone—God has provided other people to help you along. And you are also called to help those in your life. 

Take some time today to thank God for the friends and community He has given you. Thank God for each of them by name. As they come to mind, be sure to let them know that you appreciate their friendship in your life. Seek out ways that you can continue to build a healthy community of friends.