Put your hope in God.

There times the Lord seems to arrange a particular day that sets your heart to focus on a spiritual reality or principle for a season. That is exactly what the Lord did for me last Sunday while on vacation. In my devotions I read Psalm 42 & 43 which has this verse three times. "Why are you downcast, O my soul? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God." There were some things that I have been praying about that the only solution is a miracle but I was still trying to figure out how to solve the problem as well. I do not know if you have that tendency as well but I needed to hear again that spiritual truth of putting my hope in God. As I was meditating on that I saw a picture in my mind of a small narrow room that needed to be rearranged in order to be more useful but in order to do that I had to move the window in the room. That was all I saw but I know there was something I needed to hear from the Lord and then do that thing in order to things to align up right to see God perform a miracle. Then the morning worship service seemed to be designed for me. Though I was a visitor, the songs of worship service caused me to weep and the morning message was on loving the Father which meant to obey Him. The preacher made a distinction between liking God and loving God. In short liking God is what God can do for you but if I love God I must follow Him and obey Him. After the message I went to the altar to commit all that the Lord was speaking to me. I committed afresh to be open to listen to Him and then to obey Him. That is I committed to the Lord that I would put my hope in God. I would learn more of what it means to trust Him. I am excited about the miracles that God is going to do in the future but I need to put my hope in God first which means to love and obey God in all that He wants me to do. I encourage you to read Psalm 42 & 43 if you have been a little discouraged or down lately. Put your hope in God.

May His love and grace overshadow your life.

Pastor John