Morning by Morning, Friday 2-26-10 – Hope is a Direction, not a Dream Good morning, Lord Jesus. You are steadfast, faithful, and true. So I trust You and entrust myself and my day to You. I love You, Lord. Thank You, Lord, for first loving me. … “The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, His mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness. ‘The Lord is my portion,’ says my soul, therefore I will hope in Him” (Lamentations 3:22-23). Some say “to hope” is “to dream,” that’s it hoping and wishing and dreaming that what you want to happen will happen. I think of it as more of a choice. It’s more a decision to consciously, deliberately set my face and my heart in the direction I choose to go forth in faith. In that sense, hope is a direction, not a dream. And it’s not empty hope any more than it’s blind faith. It’s a hope based the evidence of Your steadfast love, Your abounding mercy, and Your faithful presence with me through every battle and blessing of my life. In that sense, hope is not wishful thinking; it’s choosing to align myself with the hope You’ve put in my heart and settled in my mind as the right course for my life. “For as he thinks in his heart, so is he” (Proverbs 23:7, NKJV). So by the power of the grace of God, I will hope in You. I will trust in You. I will entrust every burden and battle, every worry and care, every struggle and question, every doubt and fear to the One in whom I have consciously, deliberately put my hope and trust. My hope is founded on Your love for me, knowing You desire Your best for me—even when I can’t see it, can’t feel it, can’t even hardly believe it. In that place of trust, Your perfect love casts out all fear (1 John 4:18). “Whenever I am afraid, I will trust in You” (Psalm 56:3, NKJV). And in that place, with my face and heart set toward You, I have the peace of Your abiding presence with me on my way to wherever You’ve leading and whomever I’m becoming. I don’t have to worry or fear, question or doubt, but simply choose to put my hope in You. And so I do. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, please save the date of March 19th for our Celebration Evening in Lexington of all the Lord has been doing through Messiah Ministries this exciting season. Come and see; come and hear our vision and calling; come and be a part! I'll be sharing stories of God's glory from my adventures in Pakistan, Israel, the Philippines, Estonia, and here at home. Come and bring some friends to share the evening of celebration with us. Consider contributing for our Silent Auction to support our ministries. Please send me a note if you'd like to help. Subscribe for free by email to me at Messiah Ministries --MessiahMin@aol.com -- "Preparing the Way of the Lord ... Ministering the Healing Love of God" www.messiah-ministries.org 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502 Order my books and our resources on-line: www.shop.messiah-ministries.org