Christmas HOPE - Day 16

It is a good thing to hope for help from God. One of my really close friends has become numb to life. If you've not experienced this feeling it might be hard to relate. For my friend nothing matters, there's no ambition, no hope of a rescue. It's a really tough place for a person to be. In order to propel forward and make progress it can seem impossible unless there's a positive deposit placed into his life. The grease stains on the rag are just too much to remove with cleanser.

But you know what I love? I get to walk through life with my good friend. Listening to his suffering is comparable to my own story from years ago. It can seem negative to dwell on stagnation but the positive I see that moves us forward is we learn from the pits of life. We grow and become aware of what to do next time. We can recognize how God was there all along. We may not have acknowledged Him in the moment, but He was there. Today's scripture brings hope for the broken who need repair and the drowning who need a rescue. It brings hope for the believers who remember God was there all along and rescued us from snares, low self-worth, and even minor every day challenges.

Lamentations 3:19-24 (MSG)-"I’ll never forget the trouble, the utter lostness, the taste of ashes, the poison I’ve swallowed. I remember it all—oh, how well I remember—the feeling of hitting the bottom. But there’s one other thing I remember, and remembering, I keep a grip on hope: God’s loyal love couldn’t have run out, his merciful love couldn’t have dried up. They’re created new every morning. How great your faithfulness! I’m sticking with God (I say it over and over). He’s all I’ve got left."