Piggy
backing on yesterday's post about an "attitude of hope," starting
today, I'm going to write about just that: Attitude of Hope. I'm going
to try to do this daily.
The Psalms helped me so much when I began my melajourney, so I'll begin with verses that draw on hope. I use the New Living Translation (NLT). Feel free to go to biblegateway.com and use your translation of choice and language. These posts will be dedicated to the loving memory of melahomey Jason Farley, the son of my friend Brenda Farley.
Attitude of Hope, Aug. 10, 2017
Psalm 9: 1-2, 18
1. I will praise you, Lord, with all my heart;
I will tell of all the marvelous things you have done.
2. I will be filled with joy because of you.
I will sing praises to your name, O Most High.
18. But the needy will not be ignored forever;
the hopes of the poor will not always be crushed.
Notice how King David begins this Psalm. He's not using the word "hope" yet, but "hope" overflows in the praise and the "joy" in this psalm is palpable. Praise, tell, filled, sing. David will praise the Lord...no matter what is going on in his life and kingdom. He's going to TELL about these things, too, and they are marvelous. He's not going to keep these things quiet...he's going to let other people know how he sees God working...he's going to give HOPE (though that's not spoken...it is obvious though). He'll be joyful. He doesn't say he'll be "happy" about everything, he says he'll be filled with JOY because of God. And he's going to sing about it! David gets loud and vocal! His hope and joy and praise...his gratitude...overflows and spills out to all around him and resonates through time and blessed us today!
Read the whole Psalm. David is very aware of how the world events swirl around him. He's KING! He's involved! He knows the evils, trials, issues, enemies that face his people. He sees the poor and needy. He's got a lot to deal with and David does his best to lead.
And as he leads, he gives hope. He, like all of us, lives in a fallen, imperfect world. He can't do everything that needs doing...but he CAN hold out hope to the people he leads. Taken in context, David is speaking to the financially poor. Those living a subsistence existence.
But there are other kinds of "need" We all stand in need of something. And one thing we all stand in need of is "hope."
David has witnessed, time and time again, that God has risen up and the hopes of the poor were NOT crushed, and he knows that the hopes they feel are being crushed NOW will, one day, be hopes fulfilled. Maybe not today and maybe not tomorrow...but the day is coming that. So, for now, we sing and pray with David in Psalm 9: 19-20
19. Arise, O Lord!
Do not let mere mortals defy you!
Judge the nations!
20. Make them tremble in fear, O Lord.
Let the nations know they are merely human.
I reside in Cancerworld; MelaLand to be exact. I have witnessed hopes fulfilled and I know there are hopes that will be fulfilled in the future. Cancers WILL be a thing of the past. One day. Not today. That is the hope. And we work towards and pray for that day. Cancer isn't our only enemy...remember, all enemies aren't people. Our enemies come at us in a variety of ways.
Maintain an attitude of hope. Live an attitude of hope. And as you do, be filled with hope and rock your world! HOPE changes things! Blessings. Amen and Amen.
The Psalms helped me so much when I began my melajourney, so I'll begin with verses that draw on hope. I use the New Living Translation (NLT). Feel free to go to biblegateway.com and use your translation of choice and language. These posts will be dedicated to the loving memory of melahomey Jason Farley, the son of my friend Brenda Farley.
Attitude of Hope, Aug. 10, 2017
Psalm 9: 1-2, 18
1. I will praise you, Lord, with all my heart;
I will tell of all the marvelous things you have done.
2. I will be filled with joy because of you.
I will sing praises to your name, O Most High.
18. But the needy will not be ignored forever;
the hopes of the poor will not always be crushed.
Notice how King David begins this Psalm. He's not using the word "hope" yet, but "hope" overflows in the praise and the "joy" in this psalm is palpable. Praise, tell, filled, sing. David will praise the Lord...no matter what is going on in his life and kingdom. He's going to TELL about these things, too, and they are marvelous. He's not going to keep these things quiet...he's going to let other people know how he sees God working...he's going to give HOPE (though that's not spoken...it is obvious though). He'll be joyful. He doesn't say he'll be "happy" about everything, he says he'll be filled with JOY because of God. And he's going to sing about it! David gets loud and vocal! His hope and joy and praise...his gratitude...overflows and spills out to all around him and resonates through time and blessed us today!
Read the whole Psalm. David is very aware of how the world events swirl around him. He's KING! He's involved! He knows the evils, trials, issues, enemies that face his people. He sees the poor and needy. He's got a lot to deal with and David does his best to lead.
And as he leads, he gives hope. He, like all of us, lives in a fallen, imperfect world. He can't do everything that needs doing...but he CAN hold out hope to the people he leads. Taken in context, David is speaking to the financially poor. Those living a subsistence existence.
But there are other kinds of "need" We all stand in need of something. And one thing we all stand in need of is "hope."
David has witnessed, time and time again, that God has risen up and the hopes of the poor were NOT crushed, and he knows that the hopes they feel are being crushed NOW will, one day, be hopes fulfilled. Maybe not today and maybe not tomorrow...but the day is coming that. So, for now, we sing and pray with David in Psalm 9: 19-20
19. Arise, O Lord!
Do not let mere mortals defy you!
Judge the nations!
20. Make them tremble in fear, O Lord.
Let the nations know they are merely human.
I reside in Cancerworld; MelaLand to be exact. I have witnessed hopes fulfilled and I know there are hopes that will be fulfilled in the future. Cancers WILL be a thing of the past. One day. Not today. That is the hope. And we work towards and pray for that day. Cancer isn't our only enemy...remember, all enemies aren't people. Our enemies come at us in a variety of ways.
Maintain an attitude of hope. Live an attitude of hope. And as you do, be filled with hope and rock your world! HOPE changes things! Blessings. Amen and Amen.
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