Hope

February 23

Leviticus 7-8

Psalm 25:16-22

Proverbs 6:9-11

Mark 3:1-12

Hope

“Turn to me and be gracious to me, for I am lonely and afflicted. Relieve the troubles of my heart and free me from my anguish. Look upon my affliction and my distress and take away all my sins. See how numerous are my enemies and how fiercely they hate me! Guard my life and rescue me; do not let me be put to shame, for I take refuge in You. May integrity and uprightness protect me because my hope, Lord, is in You.”

Psalm 25:16-21 NIV

My hope is in You, Lord. Some days I feel like everything is crashing in around me. I can hardly breathe. Not only are my troubles bearing down on me from the outside, but I feel turmoil on the inside as well. I react in ways that I know are not pleasing to You. I am anxious and worried. I am afraid and I can’t seem to stop my mind from wandering to all the what ifs and if onlys that make me more depressed and scared. I want to turn all my problems over to You and leave them there, but I keep picking them back up time and time again. I carry them around with me like an albatross around my neck. I keep trying to figure out how to solve my problems. If I just think about it a little bit more, I am sure I can come up with the perfect solution. I know that You tell me that You already have it all figured out, and I just need to trust You. But I feel guilty not doing anything. I feel like I should be doing something, after all I got myself into this situation so I should get myself out. Right? I know that’s not how it works. You tell me to “cast all my anxiety on You because You care for me.” I Peter 5:7 (NIV) “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.” Philippians 4:6 (NIV) The peace and joy that I know You have for me seem just beyond my grasp. Please help me, Lord. Please guard my life and rescue me. Let me not be put to shame, for I take refuge in You and You alone. Please help me to conduct myself with integrity and uprightness. My hope is in You.