I wish I had two of those huge orange batons the airplane-directing people use on the tarmac waving out directions for planes.
If I had those batons (and maybe even the neon vest), I would wave my arms to get your attention to point you to the hope I’m finding.
God.
Remember Him? I seem to have forgotten God and Hope are one and the same. I untangled them and tangled myself in a mess of emotions and images instead.
To have hope I need to remember God.
Lucky for me, one of the books in my “to read” pile is coincidentally, perfectly named “Remember God.”
Those pages are orange batons, one after another, pointing to God.
The author, Annie Downs, cited a section of Paul’s letter to the Romans talking about the kind of hope I need. Maybe you do too.
“...believed, hoping against hope…He did not weaken in faith…He did not waver in unbelief at God’s promise but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God.
Romans 4:18-20
This description of Abraham’s hope feels like the hope I need right now for so many things- hoping against hope. It feels desperate and appropriate.
I needed the not so subtle reminder to remember. I love that God gets me. I don’t like reading into things. I am better with direct truth. He knows that.
Let me be direct with you.
God is very much alive and real and close.
With the dream of hope in my heart, the word hope underlined in my copy of “Remember God” and in my bible; I met with some friends. After catching up, the verse Jenna shared with us was
“As for me, I will always have hope; I will praise you more and more.”
Psalm 71:14
Beyond coincidence; this is God.
And God goes beyond me praying for hope, then picking up a book and reading on hope and then listening to my friend share a word on hope. I had forgotten something else about God.
God is a creative stinker.
I know I need to remember God. Right now, I’m stuck on following Hope.
There’s hard, necessary work to be done in this country. There are cures to be found. There are wounds to address and heal. I don’t have a magic wand.
I do have God.
I don’t have orange batons but I do have words.
Remember Him. Look for Him. God and Hope ARE beautifully intertwined, written throughout scripture, living deep inside you and me, and also painted on the back of little cars.
