4 Truths for Hope in the Desert

"I am with you and will watch over you wherever 

you go, and I will bring you back to this land. I will  

not leave you until I have done what I have promised you." 

When Jacob awoke from his sleep, he thought, 

"Surely the LORD is in this place, and I was not aware of it." Genesis 28:15-16

Jacob found himself in the desert. I'm sure he settled down for the night near an oasis or a well as a source of water. He was in the middle of nowhere, alone, with a stone for his pillow. I'm sure he was afraid and unsure about what tomorrow held. Jacob needed more that water to drink, he needed the refreshing feeling of hope.

God stepped into the wilderness to reassure Jacob and He comes to us when we feel lost in the desert of our circumstances. We desperately need hope when we're surrounded by loneliness, pain, or loss. We need water in the desert. And to us the Lord says:

1. I am with you. A few years ago, God moved me from Houston to the desert of west Texas. I wasted precious time demanding that He take me back home. I felt like God had abandoned me. Slowly, He taught me that home isn't a place. Home is where loved ones are. Home is in His presence. It took me a while to become aware of God's voice when He said, "I am here." This is a promise we can cling to: He is with us.

2. I will watch over you. "Don't you care? How can you do that to me?" It's hard to believe that God watches over us when our lives are falling apart. When I was laid off a year after I lost my Mom to cancer, I couldn't believe He'd take my job away. But, as I look back, I see that He saved my life. I was exhausted mentally, emotionally, and physically. I couldn't see that I was steps away from collapse, but God was watching over me. Sometimes we can only see His love and care from the other side of the valley.

3. I will bring you back to this land. No one wants to dwell in sorrow, frustration, or despair. I've sat in many a pit, losing all hope that things would ever change. We might wonder if life will ever be normal again. But God never leaves us where we are. He reaches out to take our hands and to lead us back to peace and joy.

4. What I have promised you. Where I stumble is in a correct definition of what God has promised me. I want to be delivered from difficulties. Better yet, I don't want to experience them at all. But God's promises are so much better than that: His presence, His love, His work to restore us. These are the promises that sustain us.

When Jacob woke up, his circumstances hadn't changed. He was still out in the middle of nowhere. But one thing had changed: He knew God was with him.

Our circumstances might not change, but God's promises can lift us up out of fear or despair. We can feel His presence and be filled with hope and strength. Our worlds might be shaking but God's promises are our sure foundation.

How have God's promises provided stability during difficult circumstances?

Photo credits: Oasis: Google image,  Desert flower

5 Keys of F.A.I.T.H

I took this amazing picture the Saturday before Thanksgiving at the Midland, TX, airport.

Roses blooming in the ice.

They're determined, aren't they?

         

The world around them is frozen.

Hostile.

          Still, they bloom.

We all experience winter. We walk in a hostile world.

How can we bloom when our lives feel frozen?


Find protection in your F...A...I...T...H

Fellowship: Friends insulate you from the cold. Hugs block the wind. 

Words of encouragement soothe you like a sip of hot chocolate.

Prayers surround you like a warm blanket.

Snuggle up!

Therefore, encourage one another and build each other up. 1 Thessalonians 5:11

Armor: It 's ten degrees outside -  you wouldn't think of going

anywhere without your coat...and cap...and scarf...and mittens.

Nothing keeps you warm like the belt of truth, the breastplate of

righteousness, the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation.

Dress to fight the cold!

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. Ephesians 6:10-11

Identity: Stand firm in your identity in Christ. 

You are hidden in Christ.

You are inhabited by the Holy Spirit.

The cold cannot penetrate you.

A chill cannot move into your soul.

You are protected from without and sealed from within.

For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, "Abba Father." Romans 8:15

Thankfulness: Say what? It's hard to be thankful when you're shivering.

Remember the times you could feel God's presence. Trust that the

Lord of the spring and summer is alive and active in the winter.

His presence wraps around you like a soft cloak.

The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and I am helped. My heart leaps for joy and I will give thanks to him in song. 
Psalm 28:7

Hope: total confidence in God's character. He is faithful.

He is power. He is truth.

He is the flame that glows within you.

Comfort flows from trusting Him.

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. 
Romans 15:13

With FAITH, you will bloom in the ice!

Four Promises: Hope In the Desert

"I am with you and will watch over you wherever 

you go, and I will bring you back to this land. I will  

not leave you until I have done what I have promised you." 

When Jacob awoke from his sleep, he thought, 

"Surely the LORD is in this place, and I was not aware of it." Genesis 28:15-16

Water in the desert...hope...That's what Jacob needed. He fled for his life - his brother, Esau, vowed to kill him. So Jacob ran. When he stopped for the night, out in the middle of nowhere, the Lord surprised him with promises that encouraged and strengthened him.  

We desperately need hope when we're roaming in deserts of loneliness, pain, or loss. We need water in the desert. And to us the Lord says:

1. I am with you. When I was laid off a year after I lost my Mom to cancer, I certainly doubted that God was around. "Where are You? Don't You see what's happening to me?" It took me a while to become aware of God's voice when He said, "I am here." We don't always hear Him. We don't always feel His presence. But here's a promise we can cling to: He is with us.

2. I will watch over you. "Don't you care? Why aren't you dong something?" Have you ever prayed those words? It's hard to believe that God watches over us when our lives are falling apart. I couldn't believe He'd take my job away but, as I look back, I see that He saved my life. Sometimes we can only see His love and care from the other side of the valley.

3. I will bring you back to this land. No one wants to dwell in sorrow, frustration, or despair. I've sat in many a pit, losing all hope that things would ever change. We might wonder if life will ever be normal again. But God never leaves us where we are. He reaches out to take our hands and to lead us back to peace and joy.

4. What I have promised you. I wish God promised to give me what I asked for, don't you? He doesn't promise to keep us happy. He doesn't promise an easy life. Scripture says He always has our best in mind. That doesn't make any sense when we're stuck in the desert. We define "best" as the world defines it, not as God defines it. He works for our eternal best: to mold us into the image of His Son. His presence, His love, His work to restore us - these promises sustain us.

When Jacob woke up, his circumstances hadn't changed. He was still running from Esau. He was still out in the middle of nowhere. But one thing had changed: He knew God was with him. He was stunned to realize that God was there, even though he'd been blind to it.

Most of the time, our circumstances don't change. We curl up in hopelessness and forget that God's with us. But His voice breaks through and He lifts us up with His promises. He won't transform our circumstances but He does transform us.


When have God's promises provided stability in your life when your circumstances shook you to the core?

Photo credits: 1, 2

Excerpt from Storms of Life, Silver Lining: Hope

Excerpt from Storms of Life Chapter 6, Day 5:
"When we focus on God’s truths they lift our spirits; He is the Father of peace, not doubt and confusion. Even during suffering, an underlying bedrock of peace and joy will allow you to feel hope. God’s Word is Truth: timeless, changeless, a Light for your heart and soul when all else is in darkness.
Truth is not a whim that blows in the wind. ... It stands on the Rock of God’s character and is expressed in every promise spoken by His faithfulness. God is the Father of peace, joy, strength, wisdom, hope, and so much more. Focus on Him! Let His Word become your Bread of Life and your Living Water to sustain you in the wilderness of suffering."




The sound of rain, flashes of lightening, rolls of thunder— I love a storm. I like to snuggle up with a hot cup of tea and a good book.

But, no amount of hot tea and no shelf of bestsellers can lessen a storm of suffering or hardship that invades our lives and threatens our stability.

The days stretch by and things just seem to get worse.

Where’s God? Has He forgotten us? Worse yet, has He abandoned us? It sure feels like it sometimes. We’re desperate for His love and grace.

Even though we don’t see it or feel it, God is there, upholding us with His grace.

In the next few posts, we'll rejoice in the 8 colors of God’s grace that surround us during our hardest times.

“Every cloud has a silver lining.”
“There’s a blessing hidden is this storm, if you just look for it.”


These statements are hard to believe when all we can see is dark, swirling clouds.

Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. Hebrews 11: 1

Hope…this word doesn’t mean
                    "I wish," or
                    "I want it to happen but I’m not sure."


It means complete confidence, certainty, unfailing.

In Christ, our hope is complete confidence in Him and His unfailing promises.

Even from the midst of the storm, we have hope (total confidence) in the silver lining.

Hope in His presence.
Hope in His faithfulness.
Hope in His sustaining power.


All the colors of God's grace are built on this hope.

When you've been buffeted by a storm, how have you built your stability on the hope of (confidence in) God's faithfulness?


If this post blesses you, please share.


Next post: Red - God's Passion and Power