The boundary lines
have fallen for me in pleasant places; surely I have a delightful inheritance
(Psalm 16:6).
Peace of
mind. That’s what my mother said she
wanted for Christmas when, as a child, I asked her that question innocently. I remember it, and now I understand it.
My day starts
with reading, prayer and meditation, followed by a glance through the newspaper
for an update on current events. Occasionally
a story will inspire, but most news is old news: People continue to be mean to each
other. Innocents of all ages still get
hurt and die. Chaos still abounds all
over the world. One of my volunteer jobs
at the Abilene Police Department is to archive 60+ years of newspaper clippings
relating to law enforcement and peace-keeping in our city. It’s a sobering task. The stories, the faces, the pain and loss
represent real people. Without faith in
an omnipotent God, I could easily feel overwhelmed with hopelessness.
I read Psalm
16 this week and it was the timely reminder I needed. It says, in essence, that without God we have
nothing. The un-godly are losers. The godly-faithful on the other hand have a
“secure lot in life” no matter what circumstances befall them. They are blessed now and will always be
blessed. That’s God’s promise,
and He keeps His promises.
The word “hope” in
the New Testament means the confident expectation of an outcome. Hope isn’t a wish, it’s a promise. My brother died unexpectedly on Christmas
Day 2013. The painful circumstances of
his death would be unbearable were it not for the hope I have – the promise God
made to his faithful children to not “abandon us to the grave.” And because of Christ’s resurrection from the
dead, we’ll be filled with the joy of His presence and with “eternal pleasures”
at His right hand (from Psalm 16:9-11).
Heavenly Father, You refresh us with wellsprings of peace
and hope that never run dry. In the
midst of chaos we thrive by Your power and grace. We are grateful. Amen.
Sandra Milholland
Abilene, Texas
No comments:
Post a Comment