Hope For Today

Dear Friends, I waited in hope for a devotional I had submitted online to be accepted.  The previous one had been accepted so I was hopeful that this one would also be accepted.  Surely they would like what I had written?  Yet hope dwindled as time went by and I had received no response.  The deadline for hearing back from them had passed.  With the passing of time, hope left me. I was so disappointed. I had really hoped to hear a yes from them.  There were brief moments when I was able to think objectively.  When I was able to tell myself, "That's OK.  What I had written did not meet their requirements this time.  It wasn't needed because it didn't fit with the direction they wanted to take. It's alright.  I can try again another time."  However, my heart was saying something else and I began to have doubts and fears: I'd been so sure God had given me a gift to write.  I ...

Dear Friends, Last week I bought a present online for my Mum.  It was to be an early birthday present because I wanted her to have it when she went away on holiday.  I did leave it a bit late and the estimated dates of delivery went up to and included the day she was to leave.  I really hoped it would arrive before she left.  So when it came early, even before the dates given, I was so pleased.  I visited her feeing quite excited because I knew it was something she wanted.  However, when she tried it we disovered it was the wrong size.  I had been so sure I'd ordered the right one.  I was upset, frustrated, annoyed with myself and disappointed.  I'd bought a birthday present for Mum which was no good!  I was not in a good mood! Thankfully, Jason came to the rescue and was able to order the correct size and even managed to get it delivered in time for Mum's holiday.  I was so relieved and happy that she had ev...

Dear Friends, My sister and I regularly chat on the phone. She was sharing with me one morning about what was going on in her life. She had several decisions to make, responsibilities to order and things which were concerning her.  She was finding it hard and said that the picture she had was of a tangled ball of strings, all knotted and muddled up, yet as much as she tried she couldn't untangle them. But what is too hard for us is not too difficult for God! "Ah, Lord God ! It is you who have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and by your outstretched arm! Nothing is too hard for you." Jeremiah 32:17 (ESV) She took her concerns and worries to God, but as she did so she was still trying to find the solution herself. She suggested several answers to God.  For example, she would say to him, if such and such could happen then things can work out, or if you would do a, b or c, then this would be good.  After a while, she ...

Dear Friends, When I was 8 years old we moved from the town of St. Leonards to the village of Buxted.  One of my favourite memories was when our family would walk through Buxted Park.  It was a lovely green area and home to many deer.  It was a great place to go hunting for chestnuts on an Autumn Saturday afternoon. On the walk we would pass a small brick building.  My Dad told us it was called a pillbox.  My sister, Trina, and I had never seen one before but there are several throughout England and they were built during World War Two as a form of defence against the enemy. Trina and I would love to get our Dad to help us up on to the top of it, so we could then have a better view of our surroundings and be high up.  All children seem to have a fascination with being 'King of the Castle'. The problem came when it was time to get down!  It was too high for us to jump.  Once again we needed help from our Dad. Dad would say "Jum...

Dear Friends, When you sense that God may be calling you to something new, to take a step of faith, you can experience a variety of emotions.   On the one hand there may be excitement as you think about the plan God has for your life and where he is leading you, on the other hand you may be anxious about facing the unknown and what he is asking you to do.   Or perhaps stubbornly you decide to dig your heels in because you don’t want the change.    You may be wondering why he is calling you to do something different when you are satisfied with life as it is, when you already consider yourself productive in your relationships, home, work, ministry at church etc.   To leave all that behind may not make a lot of sense to you. I wonder what emotions Abram experienced when he heard God’s call on his life.   Abram was from a prominent family, his ancestry can be traced all the way back to Seth, Adam and Eve’s son.   His was a wealthy family with...

Dear Friends, When God commanded Noah to build the ark, Noah obeyed, he did everything that God commanded him to do. Noah, his wife, his 3 sons and their wives along with the animals who entered the ark were kept safe and protected.   They were in the ark for nearly a whole year.   Can you imagine what it must have been like to have spent almost a year in the ark?   The noise and smell from the animals, not being free to wander outside and smell the fresh air.   The waiting and the patience needed to wait. I wonder if, after all those months, Noah experienced times of doubt.   Had God forgotten him?   Did God care about him at all?   Had he really heard from God in the first place?   Would he spend the rest of his life confined to the ark? I know for myself there are times when I wonder if God has forgotten about me.   Perhaps you’ve been there too - a situation where it feels that God has forgotten you, where he do...