Written 04.27.2015, Monday, 819 a.m.
A CRAZY LIFE, A CRAZY WORLD
An earthquake and it's aftershocks in Napal have claimed more than 3,700 lives and the number continues to rise.
My husband and I are waiting for a call from the vet about test results on our cat Kara.
Hillary Clinton is connected to a new scandal every other day it seems.
Our current President, the President of hope and change, still will not call terrorists terrorists.
Christians have been beheaded and executed, and so have others, let me add.
There is a current holocaust going on right now where terrorists are torturing and murdering everyone they can who refuses to pay a tax or convert to their beliefs.
The Church is mainly silent on these matters, just as they were about the Nazi Holocaust.
The U.S. and world seem to be more divided than ever right now.
Skin color, religious, and political party disagreements abound.
The Aurora, Colorado movie theater shootings trial begins today.
People are jobless and homeless, in varying degrees.
Couples are having challenges in their marriages.
Someone was just in a car wreck.
The sun hasn't been out here in two days.
A kitchen (or whatever) renovation project is going as planned.
We are feeling stressed...
Anxious...
Flat...
Empty...
We are just so busy. We cannot breathe, let alone rest.
We wonder if there is something we are missing in our lives.
We are not satisfied, never mind content.
We want to find and do something better.
We want more.
Where is better or more? Where do you find it?
And, where and how do you find hope in the middle of all of the above?
And, if you find hope, is it lasting hope?
Is the hope real hope or false hope?
And, what is hope really anyway? Can it be found?
Is hope what we really seek in this crazy world? (I think so.)
POLITICS ASIDE: WE WANT A SOURCE OF HOPE
President Barack Obama won the United States Presidential Elections twice because of his slogan of hope and change.
Hope is something we all crave and desire. We search for it everywhere and in everyone we can. The search for hope seems an inborn instinct we all have. The problem is how our hopes have been dashed, sliced, stirred, mangled, and demolished at times in our lives. And, that leads to depression, anger, denial, bitterness, etc. Hope that dies leaves us hopeless, and that leads us to many roads to take, most of which never lead us to the solution for our quest of hope.
So, what is hope?
Can it really be found?
Does hope last?
Why should we even try to find hope when it always seems--just--out--of--reach?
And, why risk trying to find hope only to have our hopes mangled once again?
SOURCES OF HOPE?
President Obama offered us hope. We wanted it. And, we still do. There are many angles, many sides, many answers to find hope. President Obama is was one. Our spouses, schools, jobs, money, possessions, friends, families, ideas, etc. are other sources of hope.
We seek hope in people, places, and things.
Nevertheless, we always want more hope.
Have we been looking for Hope, not just love, in all of the wrong places, people, and things? Seriously. Have we?
So, is there one big underlying hope that can fill our hearts and give us the answers we all seek? Is there a real hope that fills our hearts and minds and provides answers? Is there a real hope that is lasting?
Hebrews 6:19 Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)
19 We have this hope as an anchor for our lives, safe and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain.
Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB). Copyright © 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2009 by Holman Bible Publishers, Nashville Tennessee. All rights reserved.
The first part of that verse, of that quotation, sounds promising, doesn't it? It sure made my heart beat a little faster and long for a hope like this. I would sure love to find hope that acts as an anchor in my life. I ache for this, deeply, and I want it desperately.
Hope that acts as an anchor... Wow. Wonder of wonders. What a beautiful premise and concept. A hope that anchors us safe and secure, no matter calm water or storm. What a beautiful image. It sounds ideal and maybe too good to be true. Doesn't it? Is this kind of hope even possible? And, if so, how can I find it?
Let's look at the verse and read it once again, but in a different version or translation (those two words and used interchangeably) of the Bible and I will add one more verse to help broaden our understanding:
Hebrews 6:19-20 Expanded Bible (EXB)
19 We have this hope as an anchor for ·the soul [our lives], ·sure [stable; secure] and ·strong [reliable; unshifting]. It enters behind the curtain in the ·Most Holy Place in heaven [L inner place/sanctuary], 20 where Jesus has gone ·ahead of us [L as a forerunner] ·and for us [on our behalf]. He has become the high priest forever, a priest like Melchizedek [Ps. 110:4; Heb. 5:6, 10; 7:1–17].
Expanded Bible (EXB)... The Expanded Bible, Copyright © 2011 Thomas Nelson Inc. All rights reserved.
There is a hope that acts as an anchor... for our lives... and for our souls...
It is a anchor of hope for not just part of me, but for all of me, including my soul. Not just temporarily but for my entire life. (I like the sound of that, I do not know about you.)
I am going to stop, rest, and pause as I ponder this verse about hope and what it means in my life. I want to ruminate, ponder, meditate on, contemplate, and think on this. I want to journal about it and pray about it. How about you?
Let's keep reading these verses, at least the first part, morning, noon, evening, and night until our next reading here.
NEXT
In the next blog post, I will look more at these verses and break them down. I will also share my personal prayer journaling.
Stay tuned.
Hebrews 6:19-20 New Living Translation (NLT)
19 This hope is a strong and trustworthy anchor for our souls. It leads us through the curtain into God’s inner sanctuary. 20 Jesus has already gone in there for us. He has become our eternal High Priest in the order of Melchizedek.
New Living Translation (NLT). Holy Bible. New Living Translation copyright© 1996, 2004, 2007, 2013 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
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ADDITIONAL MATERIAL:
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TIMELESSNESS: AN EXPLANATION ABOUT MY GOAL WITH POSSIBLY PERCEIVED "DATED " MATERIAL
I am trying to make every daily devotional or Bible reading timeless, but I also want to include context of what is going on in the world today. Therefore, I am including prayer material for today's world as I write these Word of the Days.
If you are reading this later, please still look at the material you would say is dated, for example the news articles. I bet you will see how things transformed from there, whether things got worse or better, or if it is nothing new. It will give you prayer and pondering material.
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NEWS PRAYER POINTS
1
2
3
The Napal Earthquake... 3,700+ are dead...
4
5
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