Staying Hopeful

Hi everybody, it’s Pastor Dave, and it is an “Encountering The Father” day in your Alone With God journal. If you have an Alone With God journal, grab it and turn it to your next “Encountering The Father” day. If you don’t have an Alone With God journal, you should get one at wordbymail.com. You can order one there.

On the “Encountering the Father” page, the first block says, “What did God reveal to me in our alone time together this week?” And this is just a small little box for you to write. And it’s really just kind of a reflection starter. It’s just getting you to think back on this week, especially the last three days of the journal guides. And try to remember what did God reveal to me this week and write it in there.

And then, again, more reflection. The next section is “What scripture is he highlighting?” Again, this is a great way to look back over your journal and say, “Oh, yeah. On Tuesday, this scripture really spoke to me,” or maybe at some other point in your reading. Write down what scriptures jumped out at you this week.

And then, finally, the last question on the page is, “How is God changing me?” Guys, again, these are all just thought starters for you to reflect on what God is doing in your week. “How is he changing me?” You may just say, “He’s still transforming me in this area,” or “He’s really working on me in such-and-such area.”

So, Daisy’s going to talk with us a little bit about the “Encountering the Father” page, and then she’s going to share something that God revealed to her this week. So, listen to Daisy, and then prayerfully, that will inspire you, and you can do your “Encountering The Father” page.

Hey, y’all, it’s Daisy. Today, we are looking at the "Encountering The Father" page of our Alone With God journal. Spending quality time with God every day strengthens our relationship with him, and that strengthens us, and that gives us the security to keep navigating life. It is so vital that we take time out of our week to reflect on what God is trying to communicate with us through the events in our lives.

So, as I reflect on all the ways I’ve encountered God this week, I’m reminded of a verse I meditated on, on Monday.

Psalm 39:7 (NLT)
7 And so, Lord, where do I put my hope? My only hope is in you.

Growing up, my dad used to tell me all the time that a man has nothing if he doesn’t have hope. And I think that we live in a world where hope seems to be so drowned out by the noise and the chaos, but I want you to remember that that is just an illusion. We have hope. We have hope because we know that God loves us. And that he cares for us, and that he wants to care for us, and that he’s actively working in our lives. We have hope because we have seen miracle after miracle because the very essence of existence would be absolutely impossible if God did not want us here.

He wants us here. He wants us here to be the light of the world and to remind people that there is hope. There is a God who carefully and meticulously created us out of love and formed us from the goodness of his own heart. We have hope because we belong to the one who created hope. Who IS hope.

So, as you reflect today, I just want you to look for places that God has given you hope. Remember the times where God proved his existence to you, and stay in that moment with him and really surrender your fears for the future.

Let’s pray. God, thank you for the gift of hope. Thank you that I do not have to fear what the world fears because I have my eyes set on you. Help me to be a banner of love and a vessel of hope. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Alright, guys. Thank you, Daisy. Thank you for that devotion. We appreciate you greatly.

Listen, guys. Here’s what we want to do on this Friday. We want to point you toward the weekend. Tomorrow is “What Am I Grateful For This Week?” And our prayer is that you’ll be able to sit down tomorrow morning with a cup of coffee and write, “Lord, I’m grateful for this. I’m thankful for this, Lord. I thank you for this and this and this and this in my life.” And just spend a moment just being grateful.

And then, you have your Sunday “Sermon Notes” page in your Alone With God journal. And so, if you’re going to church (and I hope you can), take your journal with you. Make notes. If you’re not going to church, then we have a message for you. This week’s message is our third message in the Mark series, The Gospel of Mark. This message is called “Answer The Call.” You can click on that link to get the message. And you can find a link to it in the description as well.

And so, look for the link, either in the description of this media item, if you’re on the phone app or in the written Blog if you’re reading this in the Blog. “Answer The Call.” It’s message number three in the Mark series. Mark 1:16-20, and that will be a great message for you to watch. You can watch it on the Word By Mail channel on your Roku or Apple TV. You can watch it on the phone app by downloading the Word By Mail phone app from your app store. Or you can get it at wordbymail.com. So you can watch, listen to, or read that message on Sunday and spend that good, in-depth study time with the Lord.

So, be blessed, and we’ll see you Monday. Bye-bye.