Bright Hope

“This I recall to my mind, therefore I have hope. The LORD'S loving kindnesses indeed never cease, for His compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness. "The LORD is my portion," says my soul, "Therefore I have hope in Him." The LORD is good to those who wait for Him, to the person who seeks Him.” - Lamentations 3:21-25

Florence Chadwick was the first woman to swim the English Channel both ways. She didn’t quite make it on her first attempt. It wasn’t the cold water. It wasn’t the sharks. It wasn’t the 15-hour swim. It was the fact that the fog rolled in and she couldn’t see the coastline. She quit half a mile from the goal.

When she got out of the water she said, “I’m not trying to make an excuse but I feel like if the fog hadn’t been there and I could have seen the land, I would have made it.” Later she tried again. The fog rolled in again but this time she knew that the coastline was there. And she completed the journey. In fact, she did it in two fewer hours than anybody else had ever done it.

A lot of us are like that. The fog has rolled into our lives and we’ve lost our bearings. Maybe you have given up hope about a solution to a problem. Listen and look for God to give you direction. My favorite hymn, "Great is Thy Faithfulness," reminds me that God is my cheerleader and coach …

Pardon for sin and a peace that endureth, Thy own dear presence to cheer and to guide;
Strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow, Blessings all mine, with ten thousand beside!

~ Rev. Phill