I am ending this year clinging to hope. The year 2024 has been the hardest year of my life and to be honest, since my brother’s death, there were some days I didn’t know if I would make it to the next. There have been moments when just making it to the next five minutes is all that I could muster. Thankfully, my faith and hope is rooted in Jesus. Without Him, I would have surely fallen. Hope to me, means “Holding On to God’s Promises Every day.
I have been holding on to God to get me through every situation. I have not wanted to get out of bed most days. When John died in July, I felt my world stop spinning. Without him here, nothing seemed to be right anymore. Without the help of my dear husband, I think I would still be unable to move. He kept reminding me of both John’s faith and the hope I have in God’s word. The hope and promise that I will see John again in heaven has been enough to keep me going.
Hope is defined as a feeling of expectation and desire for a certain thing to happen — a feeling of trust. When you are a Christian, you place your hope in the Lord. We know that no matter what happens to us in this world, we have an eternal home with God. We have a heavenly Father that only wants best for his children. We have a God that will always make a way for us even in the midst of a world that is crumbling before our eyes.
Not only am I clinging to hope at the end of 2024, but I will continue to cling to it to start 2025. The prophet Isaiah told us, “Those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength, they will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.”(Isaiah 40:31) In the craziness of this life, when our hope is firmly planted in the Lord, we will continue to work and never be discouraged because we know God will sustain us. He will make us soar like eagles above the world that is falling apart.
The apostle Paul, tells us in Romans 15:13, “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.” When we fully put our hope in God, we will be filled with joy and peace. Our hope in Him will overflow by the power of the Holy Spirit. When we are fully trusting in God and our hope is in him, that will show to others around us. The world will be able to see who your faith is truly in and can come to know the Lord, simply by your faith in God.
These past few months, when I have needed encouragement and refreshment for my soul, I have had to turn to the Scriptures from both the Old and New Testaments. They have been such a source of hope and a renewal of faith. I am trying to the best of my ability to live the verse of Romans 12:12, “Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, and faithful in prayer.”
I pray that your 2025 will be filled with days of hope and love and joy. I know that no matter what the devil may try to use to weaken your faith, when you are firmly planted in the Lord, you will be okay. You will prevail. You will be able to soar on the wings of eagles.
This week’s recipe uses one of the South’s traditional New Year’s foods. Black eyed peas are traditionally eaten at New Year’s to bring good luck and prosperity in the coming year. This is a yummy twist on just eating a bowl of plain peas. I know my family loves this recipe and I am sure yours will too.
“So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”(Isiah 41:10)
December 20, 2024
