April 14, 2011

Finding Hope...

4/12/11

All last weekend and this week God has been laying something on my heart.

Hope.

I've heard it in songs, I've read scripture containing it. I've seen billboards that say hope. I've heard the name Hope called in public. Everywhere I look,
I see hope.

So, I realized that God wants me to pay attention to it.

I looked up the definition and this is what I found...

Hope

1. the feeling that what is wanted can be had or that events will turn out for the best.

Hope
1. a feeling of desire for something and confidence in the possibility of its fulfillment
2. a thing, situation, or event that is desired
3. to trust, expect, or believe

Hope is the belief in a positive outcome related to events and circumstances in one's life.

Wow.

I've grown to love this word, Hope...

God keeps bringing it to sight in my life and I now know why. He wants me to place my hope in him. And I have. He wants me to have high hopes, and I do.

Psalms 31:24
Be of good courage, and he shall strengthen your heart, all ye that hope in the LORD.

Here lately, I have been praying and hoping. Asking God for specifics and for strength. He is providing. He is listening. He is answering.

What a great God.

He has been strengthening my heart as the days go on and I'm trusting Him.

He is teaching me to trust Him and have hope in Him. It's wonderful.

I'm so grateful that Maddie Grace's little life has brought me to know the Lord more and have an even greater relationship with Him. I feel closer to the Lord than I ever have been in my life. I never want to lose this relationship and closeness. God is my rock and my comfort. He is my refuge. He is my hope.

Romans 15:4
For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope.

I love that the Bible is so beautiful and so clear. Everything I read in the Bible was written for me to learn. I love this verse and I find the words so comforting. The Lord has been providing me with patience and comfort and blessed me with the scriptures that are giving me hope. I love that.

My arms ache for Maddie Grace. My heart feels empty without her, yet I have hope that I will find peace again. God knows my heart and He has a plan.


God does have such a plan here. I don't want to miss it. I'm not exactly sure what He is going to do with Mine and Rick's lives, but I do have hope that it will be something great. I know that everything that has happened to us has been hard, but with the Lord we are overcoming. We are finding strength to push forward.

So while I continue down this road of heartache, and sadness, I still have hope. Hope that I will find more happiness again and joy in my life.

Until then.

I will keep watching for signs from the Lord. I'm so very thankful that He is speaking to me.


Romans 5:2 By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.

Romans 12:12 Rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation; continuing instant in prayer;

4 comments:

  1. Great post! Natalie, I just wanted to tell you that you have taught me to listen. Listen for God's voice. Since I have been reading your blog I have heard Him so much more than I did before. I just didn't realize that He spoke to us this way. When I realized it, His voice seemed so obvious. I am also walking closer to Him now so that does help, but I believe He led me to your blog because I wasn't listening.
    Thanks so much for sharing your heart with us.

    Love and Prayers!
    Becky

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  2. Psalm 71:14 "But I will hope continually, and will yet praise thee more and more."

    I love hope.

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  3. how great it is to serve a God who is our ROCK in hard times and who is alive to minister to us! i love you so much natalie! thank you for being such a testiment of God's grace and thank you for writing this blog! as a pastor's wife, i'm glad to have this blog to recommend to someone who i may meet going through a similar situation! the Lord is really using u through all this and i'm so glad you have Him to help you through. i dont know how people go on through something like this without the Lord! i'm glad i have such a great example to look at in my life!

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  4. I'm glad that you have so much hope. It's trickling into my life too. :)

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