Finding Daily Hope
Many people count their blessings. I do too. I offer thanks for them in my evening prayer. Then I move onto my concerns and petitions. Then I do something that brings me peace and lots of hope. What could that be? Being peaceful and hope-filled is the best way to fall asleep, don’ t you think?
I’ve kept my feet on the ground,
I’ve cultivated a quiet heart.
Like a baby content in its mother’s arms,
my soul is a baby content.
Wait, Israel, for God. Wait with hope.
Hope now; hope always!
(Psalm 131:2-3, MSG)
You see, I don’t just count blessings but hopes too. By finding daily hope I remind myself of how I’ve seen God moving that day. I count all the hope-filled things happening in my life (no matter how small). And, especially if I have had a tough day, I remind myself of God’s goodness. I think about how wonderful it is to be God’s beloved. I thank God for knowing what’s best for me. I think of how God’s mercy is new every morning.
Yet this I call to mind
and therefore I have hope:
22 Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed,
for his compassions never fail.
23 They are new every morning;
great is your faithfulness.
24 I say to myself, “The Lord is my portion;
therefore I will wait for him.”
25 The Lord is good to those whose hope is in him,
to the one who seeks him;
26 it is good to wait quietly
for the salvation of the Lord.
(Lamentations 3:21-26, NIV)
Finding daily hope – or counting hopes if you will – might sound silly to you but it keeps me centered on God and not on my problems. It reminds me of the fact that God is in control (no matter how it might look like). And this habit of counting not only blessings but hopes keeps my spiritual eyes wide open. I see God at work in my life, I feel his presence, and I know that my redeemer lives. After this, I fall asleep praise on my lips.
Gracious God,
You are so good to me.
You provide everything I need.
I thank you, I praise you.
Enable me to see you more and more in action.
Fill me with hope, joy and peace all the days of my life.
Thank you that you are always in control.
Thank you that you have a perfect plan for me and the world.
Thank you that I can rest in you no matter what.
Give me my daily hope.
In Jesus’ name,
Amen
Q4U: How do you find daily hope?
Be blessed, my fellow pilgrim, as you keep on hoping no matter what!
Image courtesy of Mari-Anna Stålnacke. Linking up today with Looking up, Sharing His Beauty, Small Wonders, and #WordswithWinter.
6 thoughts on “Finding Daily Hope”
Counting hopes….I’ve never heard it put quite that way! What a great idea, Mari-Anna. I’d love to do this myself.
I first put “Counting Hopes” as the title but then thought it might sound too strange. But that’s what it really is. Reveling in hope, embracing hope. Thanks for getting me, Lisa. Let me know how it works for you. Hope-filled Blessings!
You’re reminding me of Paul’s words in II Cor. about fixing our eyes on the unseen because it is eternal. Hope is a great thing to be thankful for!
Yes, we hope for the unseen but eternal. Thanks so much, Michel, for sharing your insights. Blessings to you now & always!
So important for me to remember as we move toward the new year – our hope is not in personal progress, but in the work of God in our world. Thanks, Mari-Anna.
Well said, Kelly. Thank you. Our hope is in Jesus, not in ourselves. Abundant blessings to you!