Hope

"And now, O Lord, what do I wait for?  My hope is in you." -- Psalm 39:7
 

I sat with a friend in the waiting room of a medical center. Three women nearby and I entered into conversation. They talked about the shock of receiving a diagnosis and how they were coping with their treatment plans.
 
That day they were waiting to see their doctors for checkups and tests, uncertain of what those results would mean.  Nervously, they expressed their hope and desire for recovery. 

I pondered how we all make plans for a future that may end up unfolding very differently than expected. Come what may, God has promised to always be with us as we put our hope and trust in Him.  During Advent, we look to the future with hope, knowing that the promised Christ child brings love and salvation through His life and death on Earth. 

As I write these words, a new, contemporary Christian song is playing: “My hope is found in this forever truth:  Jesus loves me, this I know.”  How fitting that as we anticipate the Christ child’s coming, these words from an old, familiar children’s song apply so well to this season: “Jesus loves me, this I know.”
 
I thank God for that holy love and presence, which gives us hope.

Elaine Daugherty
Morgantown First UMC
Owensboro District