W@W WRAP – Week 305

Hopeful Expectation!

Read:

Lamentations 3:18-25 (NIV): “So I say, “My splendour is gone and all that I had hoped from the Lord.” I remember my affliction and my wandering, the bitterness and the gall. I well remember them, and my soul is downcast within me. Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope: Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for His compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness. I say to myself, “The Lord is my portion; therefore, I will wait for Him.” The Lord is good to those whose hope is in Him, to the one who seeks Him.”

Act:

This week, let us:

Know that without doubt, “God’s mercies are new every morning.” As we lay our heads to rest at night and say our prayers, God is constantly at work! As He renews our bodies in sleep, He also renews our minds and hearts. We awaken with new energy for the day. The challenges we face may be difficult. But, may we always have a fresh perspective of God’s faithfulness – recognising how He grows and directs us to become all He created us to be. May we trust in His loving-kindness, confident that everything will work for our good and His glory! May we always remember… His mercies are forever new!

Never lose our hope! We can stand with confidence regarding the promise that our Lord is close to us and He has compassion on us! We are never alone. Matthew 5:3 (NIV) says, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, theirs is the kingdom of heaven,” and Psalm 34:18 (NIV) says, “The Lord is close to the broken hearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.” Even when we face discouraging days, may we remember that our Lord walks right beside us through them all.

Remember that our hope is found in Who God is! May we not forget the nature and character of our Creator! The day we declared our faith and belief in Christ, we received a special gift, a seed that will produce beautiful fruit in our lives. In Galatians 5:22-23 (NKJV), we read, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.” The fruit that we produce is not for us but for others. May we be bold in sharing our faith with those around us! May they see the hope, peace and purpose we have in Jesus.

Find our strength in our Lord. We don’t become strong by relying on our own strengths and abilities. We become strong and courageous when we choose to draw close to God! He is our all-powerful, all-compassionate, all-wise and all-loving heavenly Father, so let us rest in knowing, deep in our hearts, that everything we need is found in Him. Psalm 91:1 (NIV) reminds us, “Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.” May we not be fearful about tomorrow, because we have seen yesterday and we know that our Lord is faithful and will be with us in our tomorrows. In the Amplified Bible, we read in Hebrew 13:5, “I will never [under any circumstances] desert you [nor give you up, nor leave you without support, nor will I in any degree leave you helpless], nor will I forsake or let you down or relax My hold on you [assuredly not]!”

So, regardless of what today may bring, we can grow stronger when we choose to live from a place of hopeful expectation that God will come through for us! What can you lay down in the shadow of Almighty God today? Let’s intentionally position ourselves to receive the rest and Presence He promises us. Our Father is truly good! All we have to do is be filled with expectation as we put our hope in Him and seek Him above all else!

Pray:

Oh gracious Heavenly Father, we want to thank You for this time together today. We want to thank You for showing us that people all around the world are sharing this time together in hopeful expectation. We come together, we share messages, we lift up prayers and praises together; and we’re still doing the same thing that He was doing so many, many years ago.  Let us continue with that hope with expectation.  Each and every day may we get up and move around knowing that there is a purpose for us today.  Let us find out where our roots are going today and what fruits we’re going to bear. And all of this we ask in your Son, Jesus Christ’s name.

Father, we want to become what You want us to be. We want to carry the likeness of Jesus Christ, Your Son, in our hearts – so that we can be fully known as sons and daughters of God our Father.

Dear Lord, thank You that we can come before You again today to get guidance regarding what Your will is for our lives. Thank You Lord, for the Holy Scripture. Thank You that it guides us every step of the way. Thank You that we can consult it to get an understanding of what Your will is for us, and that we can find our path Lord. Thank You for loving us so graciously and that you will never allow us to falter. Help us to keep our eyes focused on You.  Thank You for the redeeming love of Jesus Christ – and that You have sent Him to guide us along the way. Help us Lord to always keep our purpose and our will aligned to Yours. Thank You Father God.

God, thank You so much for this time together. Thank You for Your promise that You will never leave us and You will never forsake us.  When we choose to look to You, when we choose to draw close to You, we can find rest in Your shadow. We can find rest in Your presence and we can find hope, restoration, healing, deliverance, wisdom and guidance.  We thank You Lord and we love You in Jesus’ name.

Heavenly Father, we thank you for your Word which reminds us to reach out to others and tell them about the hope that we have because of You. Thank You for reminding us of our responsibility to reach out to those who do not know You yet. As You did for Peter and the other disciples, would You grant us boldness to always be ready to give a defence to everyone who asks us about the reason for the hope that is in us. We ask this in Jesus’ name. Amen.