There's Always Hope

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I’ve posted in this blog before that I think I watch too much news.  They tend to show the bad stories first, and there are usually several - shootings, armed robberies, car break-ins, threats to schools.  If there is a good story, something to warm the heart, it is saved until the last 25 seconds of the broadcast. Last week in Charlotte there was a story of a teacher who was caught in an improper relationship with a student.  This week, amidst all the media attention and the verdict rendered in the court of public opinion, she took both her own life and that of her husband. While the news media seemed to give little coverage to this culminating event, it has troubled me deeply.  I read some of the social media comments about this situation, and largely, they were unremorseful and lacked sorrow. It made me realize just how hopeless our society has become. This woman’s knee-jerk reaction to all of the negative publicity her actions received was to end it all - and she did it!  And nobody seems to care. 
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In Acts 12, King Herod set out to stop the spread of the church.  He jailed some who belonged to the church and had one of the twelve apostles, James, put to death.  When he saw how this pleased his constituents, he seized Peter. After the Passover, Herod planned to put him on public trial.  To ensure he stayed put, Herod had him “guarded by four squads of four soldiers each.” (v. 4) While Peter was jailed, the church was earnestly praying for him.  “The night before Herod was to bring him to trial, Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains, and sentries stood guard at the entrance.  Suddenly an angel of the Lord appeared and a light shone in the cell. He struck Peter on the side and woke him up. ‘Quick, get up!’ he said, and the chains fell off Peter’s wrists.” (v. 6-7)  Peter was guarded by sixteen soldiers, but the Lord brought him out of his circumstances, unscathed.    

I didn’t know the teacher I wrote about above, so I do not know if she knew the Lord.  It is clear, however, that she believed her circumstances were hopeless. I think we all can, at some point, think our situation is hopeless. I’ve added up my expenses and found that they were greater than my income.  I’ve faced family situations that seemed they would never be resolved. I’ve had a medical diagnosis that did not leave much room for hope. But God… But God… A few years ago, I went to the mailbox and found a refund check where I overpaid by the exact amount that my account was overdrawn.  I have given birth to two sons, although my doctor said I would likely be unable to conceive. But God. If He hasn’t called us home, then He has a reason for us to remain on earth. There is always hope, in the Lord.  

If you are in need of some encouragement, the verses below may help.  The lyrics to a song that encourages me are as follows. It is by Donald Lawrence and the TriCity Singers.   
Sometimes you have to encourage yourself
Sometimes you have to speak victory during the test
And no matter how you feel
Speak the word and you will be healed
Speak over yourself, encourage yourself in the Lord

~Romans 8:24-25  For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what they already have?  But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently.

~1 Peter 5:10 And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast.

~Isaiah 40:31 but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.


Please share this blog with someone who may need a little encouragement.
Amen!

Thank you for reading!
Be blessed this week!
Kim