An Inexhaustible Well of Hope

I met Cindy when she was the producer’s assistant on one of my early records (yes, records… it was a while ago!). The minute I met her, I knew we’d be friends for life. She made me laugh like few others ever have. I loved her goofy sense of humor. As our friendship deepened over the years, we took trips together, and when we moved to different states, we made a point to stay in each other’s lives. We’re exactly the same age, so we made great plans for the trip we would take to New York the year we both turned sixty.

So, I couldn’t believe the words I was hearing the day she called to tell me she was sick. How could Cindy have lung cancer? She’s never smoked in her life! It felt surreal.

As the cancer spread, we prayed and believed and hoped… and watched her get weaker and weaker.

Her memorial service left me breathless. The church was packed to capacity with people paying tribute to a woman who had served quietly and joyfully behind the scenes.

And the beauty was… it wasn’t a dark day. It was a celebration. Cindy had run her race and finished well. She was home free!

What a brighter perspective I had that day than when I first heard Cindy’s diagnosis.

Sooner or later, most of us will face something that shakes us to our very souls. When that happens, I pray we find ourselves on our knees, holding fast to our Father’s goodness and loving embrace, declaring through our tears,

Father, in spite of all of this, You are my hope!

Cindy’s life and death show us that for the child of God, He is always our hope, to the very brink of the grave… and beyond. In the Old Testament, Job knew that truth. He lost pretty much everything — his wealth, his health, his precious children — yet at his very lowest point he said the most remarkable thing:

I know that my Redeemer lives, and that in the end He will stand on the earth. And after my skin has been destroyed, yet in my flesh I will see God; I myself will see Him with my own eyes… How my heart yearns within me! — Job 19:25–27

Job knew the inexhaustible well of hope available to the child of God. It extends beyond anything this world can throw your way. It can sustain you, no matter what you encounter. It reaches well beyond the depths of the grave.

Yes, my dear sister, He is our hope!

Take your troubles and your grief straight into your Father’s presence. Pour everything out at His feet. Then, when your tears are spent, linger in the quiet for a while and let the Father remind you that your Redeemer lives and your hope is sure.

“My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus’ blood and righteousness.”

Five Minutes in the Word

God will never forget the needy; the hope of the afflicted will never perish. — Psalm 9:18

Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord. — Psalm 27:14

A horse is a vain hope for deliverance; despite all its great strength it cannot save. But the eyes of the Lord are on those who fear Him, on those whose hope is in His unfailing love, to deliver them from death and keep them alive in famine. — Psalm 33:17–19

I wait for the Lord, my whole being waits, and in His Word I put my hope. I wait for the Lord more than watchmen wait for the morning, more than watchmen wait for the morning. — Psalm 130:5–6

Now, Lord, what do I look for? My hope is in you. — Psalm 39:7

Excerpted with permission from 5 Minutes with Jesus: Quiet Time for Your Soul by Sheila Walsh, copyright Sheila Walsh.

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Your Turn

Have you been shaken to your soul? Are you going through pain and loss right now? Reach out to Jesus! He is our hope. Come share your thoughts and prayer requests on our blog. We want to hear from you! ~ Laurie McClure, Faith.Full