hope

Trust in God alone

/ Eric Mathews / Leave a comment

Photo by Jessica Lewis via Pexels

 
O Lord, What trust do I have in this life?
What is my greatest comfort of all the things which are seen under heaven?
Is it not you, O Lord my God, whose mercies are without number?
Have I ever been well without you?
And how has evil fled when you are near?
I would rather be poor with you than be rich without you.
I choose to be a pilgrim on earth with you than without you in the heavens.
Where you are, there is heaven.
And where you are not, there is death and hell.
You alone are my desire and, therefore, 
    I must groan and cry out earnestly for you.
In short, I depend fully on you – and you alone –
    to help me in the necessities of life.
You are my hope.
You are my trust.
You are my comforter and most faithful friend in all things.
 
All people seek their own desires, 
    but you desire my salvation and my good.
You work all things to my good.
Even though I am exposed to many temptations and adversities,
    you have planned all of this for my good.
You want to prove your love to me in a thousand ways.
In these temptations and adversities,
    you should not be loved or praised any less 
    than when you were filling me with heavenly comfort.
 
In you therefore, O Lord God, I put all my hope and security.
I lay all my trials and anguish upon you,
    because I find everything and everyone else to be weak and unstable.
Without you yourself to assist me, I find no comfort, instruction, or safety.
Many friends are not helpful or comforting.
Wise counselors do not give useful answers.
Books by learned authors do not always console or provide deliverance.
Beautiful, secret hideaways do not shelter.
 
For all things which promise peace and joy are insufficient without you present.
So, you are the source of all goodness, fullness of life, and peace in my soul.
Hope in you is the strongest comfort for your servants.
“I look to you for help, O Sovereign Lord. You are my refuge.” – Psalm 141:8
In you, O God, Father of mercies, I put my complete trust.
 
Thomas à Kempis, 1379-1471, German monk
The Imitation of Christ Book 3 Chapter 59
 
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Let all that I am wait quietly before God,
    for my hope is in him.
He alone is my rock and my salvation,
    my fortress where I will not be shaken.
My victory and honor come from God alone.
    He is my refuge, a rock where no enemy can reach me.
O my people, trust in him at all times.
    Pour out your heart to him,
    for God is our refuge.

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I lift my eyes to the heavens

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Kadisha Valley, Lebanon via Wikimedia Commons


I lift up my eyes to the one who dwells in the heavens.
I lift up my eyes as Abraham lifted his 
    when he wanted to see the eternal promise and seed. 
I lift up my eyes to count the stars of heaven, 
    believing that you are a generous God. 
Like Isaiah, I raise my eyes to contemplate the power of the Most High. 
Like Nebuchadnezzar, I lift up my eyes to you. 
Then my mind is restored and I can bless the Lord of heaven, the Most High.

Before a stinking grave, I lift up my eyes to the Lord of everlasting life. 
Like Jesus, I lift up my eyes, asking that all people know the true God. 
When I meet a mute or deaf person, I lift up my eyes to the Lord of heaven. 
When I need bread and fish, with a thankful heart I raise my eyes. 


Like Stephen, I bow down on my knees. Then
    I lift up my eyes to see heaven open up in the midst of a bloody age. 
On the fields of Samaria, I raise my eyes to see a great harvest 
    in which Arabs and Jews are saved. 
I lift up my eyes to be transformed and to become a divine tool 
    for changing the oppressor 
    and for helping the oppressed and the poor.

Like the eyes of servants looking towards their masters 
    and maids towards their ladies, 
    so my eyes will be lifted up to God, 
    seeking mercy and compassion.
Today I will not look backward like the wife of Lot. 
I will not stare blindly like the servant of Elisha 
    who did not see the angels of God. 
Unlike Asaph, I will not look at the strength of evildoers. 
But like John at Patmos, I will turn towards the voice that speaks to me, 
    in order to behold your greatness. 
O God who lives in the heavens, I lift up my eyes to you.


Yohanna Katanacho, 1967 – , Palestinian Israeli evangelical theologian
Praying through the Psalms


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Psalm 123


To you I lift up my eyes,
    O you who are enthroned in the heavens!
Behold, as the eyes of servants
    look to the hand of their master,
as the eyes of a maidservant
    to the hand of her mistress,
so our eyes look to the Lord our God,
    till he has mercy upon us.

Have mercy upon us, O Lord, have mercy upon us,
    for we have had more than enough of contempt.
Our soul has had more than enough
    of the scorn of those who are at ease,
    of the contempt of the proud.

I long for a firsthand touch

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The Incredulity of Saint Thomas, Caravaggio via Wikimedia Commons
 
How easily, O Christ,
   do I long for a firsthand touch
   from you, my friend and savior,
   risen and glorious, victorious over death,
   radiant with luminous life.
O, how easily does my yearning arise
   to have been one of those in the upper room
   when you returned in resurrected form.
I know that my faith would be strong
   if, like Mary in the garden,
   I had reached out to hug your living presence
   on Easter morning.
I do not doubt the quality of my zeal
   had I broken bread with you
   at the sunset inn on Emmaus road.
It’s not easy to be among the living faithful
   fed by second-hand accounts
   of your resurrection visits,
   even though they have been passed on with loving care
   for millennia mouth-to-mouth.
But I take hope today, in this Easter season,
   that I too can taste and feel
   your fulfilled promise:
   “I am with you always; even to the end.”
Every time I break bread with friends or strangers
   or encounter kindness on my daily byroads,
   when I am visited by you
   even though my inner doors are locked in fear,
   let my heart be as open as the horizon
   for the feast of an Easter visit
   from you, my Risen Savior.

Edward Hayes, 1931 – 2016, Catholic Priest, Kansas City

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Luke 24:30-32

When he was at table with them, 
    he took the bread and blessed and broke it and gave it to them. 
And their eyes were opened, and they recognized him. 
And he vanished from their sight. 
They said to each other, 
    “Did not our hearts burn within us while he talked to us on the road, 
     while he opened to us the Scriptures?”

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Questions

Do you ever hope for an intimate, Emmaus road kind of encounter with Jesus 
    when you participate in worship services?
During what parts of a worship service do you feel God’s presence most prevalently?

Easter Prayer of Gregory the Great

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Resurrection, Luca Giordano via Wikimedia Commons

 
It is only right, with all the powers of our heart and mind,
    to praise You Father and Your Only-Begotten Son, Our Lord Jesus Christ.
Dear Father, by Your wondrous condescension of Loving-Kindness
    toward us, Your servants, You gave up Your Son.
Dear Jesus You paid the debt of Adam for us to the Eternal Father
    by Your Blood poured forth in Loving-Kindness.
You cleared away the darkness of sin
    by Your magnificent and radiant Resurrection.
You broke the bonds of death and rose from the grave as a Conqueror.
You reconciled Heaven and earth.
Our life had no hope of Eternal Happiness before You redeemed us.
Your Resurrection has washed away our sins,
    restored our innocence and brought us joy.
How inestimable is the tenderness of Your Love!

We pray You, Lord, to preserve Your servants
    in the peaceful enjoyment of this Easter happiness.
We ask this through Jesus Christ Our Lord,
    Who lives and reigns with God The Father, in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
    forever and ever.

Pope Gregory the Great (c. 540 – 604) of Rome, Patron Saint of Teachers
source
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1 Peter 1:3-4
 
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ!
According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again
    to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 
    to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, 
    kept in heaven for you.
 
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Questions

What significance does the resurrection of Jesus make in your life?
What difference does Jesus’ resurrection make in your relationships?

Make us channels of healing and comfort

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The Potato Eaters, Van Gogh, 1885
 
God of life
God of justice
God of love and mercy
 
God the provider
God our refuge and sustainer
God our comforter
 
Hear the plight of those living in squalid conditions
We present the vulnerabilities of the widows,
orphans, sick, the aged, and unemployed
We present their needs before you
We appeal to you to meet them at their point of need
 
Give them hope and faith in you
Give them courage to soldier on
Give them resilience and tenacity
 
We pray that while the powers that
have tended to ignore their plight
you will be the eyes and ears that see and listen
to their heartfelt needs
 
We pray that you make us the instrument
and the channel of healing and source of comfort;
We appear to you to make us relevant and effective
to those in need.
Amen.
 
complied by Claudio Carvalhaes, professor of worship in New York City
Liturgies from Below: Praying with People at the End of the World
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Psalm 82:1-4 
 
God has taken his place in the divine council;
    in the midst of the gods he holds judgment:
“How long will you judge unjustly
    and show partiality to the wicked?
Give justice to the weak and the fatherless;
    maintain the right of the afflicted and the destitute.
Rescue the weak and the needy;
    deliver them from the hand of the wicked.”
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Question

What is one action you can take
   that could become a channel of blessing for a person in need?

Disturb us, O Lord

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image via Pinterest​
 
Disturb us, Lord, when we are too well pleased with ourselves,
When our dreams have come true
Because we have dreamed too little,
When we arrived safely
Because we sailed too close to the shore.

Disturb us, Lord, when
With the abundance of things we possess
We have lost our thirst
For the waters of life;
Having fallen in love with life,
We have ceased to dream of eternity
And in our efforts to build a new earth,
We have allowed our vision
Of the new Heaven to dim.

Disturb us, Lord, to dare more boldly,
To venture on wider seas
Where storms will show your mastery;
Where losing sight of land,
We shall find the stars.
We ask You to push back
The horizons of our hopes;
And to push into the future
In strength, courage, hope, and love.

The Minister’s Manual, Vol. 37, compiled by M.K.W. Heicher

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Ephesians 3:20-21

Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine,
    according to his power that is at work within us, 
    to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus 
    throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.

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Question

When have you felt moved or disturbed to undertake a challenge 
   so big that only God could accomplish it?

prayer before the prayer

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Desmond M. Tutu CC BY 2.0

 
I want to be willing to let go, to forgive.
but dare not ask for the will to forgive,
    in case you give it to me
    and I am not yet ready.
I am not yet ready for my heart to soften.
I am not yet ready to be vulnerable again.
Not yet ready to see that there is humanity in my tormentor’s eyes
    or that the one who hurt me may also have cried.
I am not yet ready for the journey.
I am not yet interested in the path.
I am at the prayer before the prayer of forgiveness.

Grant me the will to want to forgive.
Grant it to me not yet but soon
Can I even form the words?
Forgive me? Dare I even look?
Do I dare to see the hurt I have caused:
I can glimpse all the shattered pieces of that fragile thing
    that soul trying to rise on the broken wings of hope.
But only out of the corner of my eye.
I am afraid of it.
And if I am afraid to see
How can I not be afraid to say: Forgive me?

Is there a place where we can meet?
You and me
The place in the middle where we straddle the lines
Where you are right and I am right too.
And both of us are wrong and wronged.
Can we meet there?
And look for the place where the path begins
The path that ends when we forgive.
 
Desmond Tutu, 1931 – 2021 & Mpho Tutu, 1963- South African Anglican priests
 
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Colossians 3:12-13
 
Since God chose you to be the holy people he loves,
    you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy,
    kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience.
Make allowance for each other’s faults,
    and forgive anyone who offends you.
Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others.

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Questions

When have you experienced forgiveness and a restored relationship with someone else?
What are some of the steps you could take to initiate a forgiveness in another relationship?

fasting to feast

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Hagia Sophia Feeding of the 5000, via Wikimedia Commons
 
 
During Lent, let us…

Fast from judging others; feast on the Christ within them.
Fast from an emphasis on difference; feast on the unity of life.
Fast from apparent darkness; feast on the reality of light.
Fast from thoughts of illness; feast on the healing power of God.

Fast from words that pollute; feast on phrases that purify.
Fast from discontent; feast on gratitude.
Fast from anger; feast on patience.
Fast from pessimism; feast on optimism.

Fast from complaining; feast on appreciation.
Fast from worry; feast on trust in God’s Care.
Fast from unrelenting pressure; feast on unceasing prayer.
Fast from facts that depress; feast on truths that uplift.

Fast from lethargy; feast on enthusiasm.
Fast from thoughts that weaken; feast on promises that inspire.
Fast from shadows of sorrow; feast on the sunlight of serenity.
Fast from problems that overwhelm; feast on prayer that undergirds.

Fast from bitterness; feast on forgiveness.
Fast from self-concern; feast on compassion for others.
Fast from personal anxiety; feast on eternal truth.
Fast from discouragements; feast on hope.

William Arthur Ward 1921-1994 Texan Methodist minister
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Isaiah 58:6-10

Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen:
to loose the chains of injustice
    and untie the cords of the yoke,
to set the oppressed free
    and break every yoke?
Is it not to share your food with the hungry
    and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter—
when you see the naked, to clothe them,
    and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?
Then your light will break forth like the dawn,
    and your healing will quickly appear;
then your righteousness will go before you,
    and the glory of the Lord will be your rear guard.
Then you will call, and the Lord will answer;
    you will cry for help, and he will say: Here am I.

“If you do away with the yoke of oppression,
    with the pointing finger and malicious talk,
and if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry
    and satisfy the needs of the oppressed,
then your light will rise in the darkness,
    and your night will become like the noonday.

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Question

What is one worldly area that you can begin fasting from 
    in order to begin feasting in God’s way?

Let God be my portion

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Parable of the hidden treasure, Rembrandt or Gerard Dou, via Wikimedia Commons
 
Let the eternal God be the portion of my soul;
let heaven be my inheritance and hope;
let Christ be my Head and my promise of security;
let faith be my wisdom,
and love my very heart and will.
and patient persevering obedience be my life;
 
and then I can spare the wisdom of the world,
because I can spare the trifles that it seeks.
 
Richard Baxter, 1615-1691, English Puritan
 
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Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, 
where moth and rust destroy 
    and where thieves break in and steal, 
but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, 
where neither moth nor rust destroys 
    and where thieves do not break in and steal.

Defend the cradle of my mind

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The Three Wise Men, by Henry Ossawa Tanner, via Wikimedia Commons
 
Come closer to me, closer still, O Power of the Holy Trinity.  
Enter into my consciousness more deeply 
    than thoughts and emblems of the world can.
In the same way as a wise mother, when she conceives,
    prepares and embellishes a cradle for her child,
    so prepare and embellish my mind for that which will be begotten from You,
    O Beauty and Purity.

Many evil thoughts lurk like serpents around the cradle of Your Son.
And many wicked desires emerge from my heart and seek the cradle of Your Prince,
    to poison Him with their arrows.

Defend the cradle of my mind,
    and teach my soul how to give birth and care for an infant.

Shroud in deep darkness 
    the journey of all malevolent visitors coming to see my newborn son.
And raise aloft a most radiant star 
    over the way of the Wise Men from the East,
    men who are truly wise, 
    because they are coming to visit my most precious child with three gifts—
    faith, hope, and love.

Come closer to me, still closer, my majestic Lord.

Nikolai Velimirovich 1881-1956 Serbian Orthodox monastic
Prayers by the Lake, source, edited
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Matthew 2:9-12

After they had heard the king, they went on their way, 
    and the star they had seen when it rose went ahead of them 
   until it stopped over the place where the child was. 
When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. 
On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, 
    and they bowed down and worshiped him. 
Then they opened their treasures 
    and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. 
And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, 
    they returned to their country by another route.
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How is your mind vulnerable to harmful thought patterns?
How can reflecting on the personhood of Jesus help protect your thought life?

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