Hope in God!

Sustaining Hope
Visions of Grandeur

Let Zion Rejoice

Psalm 42:5-11  The Message

⁵ Why are you down in the dumps, dear soul?
    Why are you crying the blues?
Fix my eyes on God—
    soon I’ll be praising again.
He puts a smile on my face.
    He’s my God.

^6-8 When my soul is in the dumps, I rehearse
    everything I know of you,
From Jordan depths to Hermon heights,
    including Mount Mizar.
Chaos calls to chaos,
    to the tune of whitewater rapids.
Your breaking surf, your thundering breakers
    crash and crush me.
Then God promises to love me all day,
    sing songs all through the night!
    My life is God’s prayer.

^9-10 Sometimes I ask God, my rock-solid God,
    “Why did you let me down?
Why am I walking around in tears,
    harassed by enemies?”
They’re out for the kill, these
    tormentors with their obscenities,
Taunting day after day,
    “Where is this God of yours?”

¹¹ Why are you down in the dumps, dear soul?
    Why are you crying the blues?
Fix my eyes on God—
    soon I’ll be praising again.
He puts a smile on my face.
    He’s my God.

 
For Reflection

Life isn't always caviar and ice cream. Life sometime serves moldy bread and brackish water.  At both extremes, life pushes our faith.  When times are good we take them for granted.  When times are troublesome our faith falters.  It is good to have a faith partner who lifts the mirror of out lives to show us that God is standing by us supporting and guiding us, comforting us and sustaining us. 

Just where is this God of ours?  Sit quietly and listen.  God is inside you and surrounds you with compassion. 

Pray

for God to lift you out of Chaos.  Pray prayers of thanksgiving.  Pray prayers of praise.  Sing songs of triumph. Pray so that you escape yourself and fall into the loving arms of the everlasting Father and the Prince of Peace.