The anchor of hope

"The use of hope is to keep us from fainting, so that we be not confounded through any assaults of our enemies. Hope is the anchor that sees believers through storms and tempests, keeping the ship safe and sure… Hope empowers endurance, and patience, waiting for the fulfillment of God’s promises… The purpose of hope is to enable us to wait, and still to wait, and do it patiently… It is the function of hope to make us look so much the more steadfastly upon God, especially since we are prone by nature to suppose that God forgets us and remembers not his promise to us."
—William Gouge (The Whole Armour of God, 1627)

Rest on God's Word and promise

"Resolve within yourself that you will believe and rest upon what God has said in his Word, though a thousand devils and your own heart also should say something to the contrary when you have no feeling or comfort at all in the assurance of his favour… Rest on God’s Word and promise… We live by our faith, and not by our feeling… Unbelief makes us vulnerable to every temptation… Trust in God, and be persuaded of his love."
—Arthur Hildersam (1563-1632)

One day at a time…

Just a poem from the pen of Annie Johnson Flint that mom shared with me this morning:

One day at a time, with its failures and fears,
With its hurts and mistakes, with its weakness and tears,
With its portion of pain and its burden of care;
One day at a time we must meet and must bear.

One day at a time to be patient and strong;
To be calm under trial and sweet under wrong;
Then its toiling shall pass and its sorrow shall cease;
It shall darken and die, and the night shall bring peace.

One day at a time — but the day is so long,
And the heart is not brave and the soul is not strong.
O Thou pitiful Christ, be Thou near all the way;
Give courage and patience and strength for the day.

Swift cometh His answer, so clear and so sweet;
"Yea, I will be with thee, thy troubles to meet;
I will not forget thee, nor fail thee, nor grieve;
I will not forsake thee; I never will leave."

Not yesterday's load are we called to bear,
Nor the morrow's uncertain and shadowy care;
Why should we look forward or back with dismay?
Our needs, as our mercies, are but for the day.

One day at a time, and the day is His day;
He hath numbered its hours, though they haste or delay.
His grace is sufficient; we walk not alone;
As the day, so the strength that He giveth His own.

—Annie Johnson Flint

Sinking our hope in the depths of God's love

The Apostle Paul writes "To all in Rome who are loved by God and called to be saints" (Romans 1:7):

"Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? As it is written:
'For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.'
No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Romans 8:35-39)

Today my mom had surgery for breast cancer and what verses these are to rest our hope upon! Nothing... nothing can/will or ever shall... separate us from the love of God that is in Christ. These are truly verses to sink our minds into and consider as we face "trials of many kinds." I am thankful for these mighty encouragements from His Word esp. at this time. We can look to our God with hope in this life, and ultimately, rest in the sure hope we have for the life to come. We have a kind God who loves his people with an incomparable love!

A few lines from Anne Steele…

In every dark, distressful hour,
When sin and Satan join their power,
Let this dear hope repel the dart —
That Jesus bears us on his heart.

Great Advocate, Almighty Friend!
On him our humble hopes depend;
Our cause can never, never fail,
For Jesus pleads, and must prevail.
—Anne Steele

See also Hebrews 7:25:

Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them.