Jesus is our Hope

How often do we feel hopeless?

Hopeless marriages, hopeless parenting, hopeless single life, hopeless job, hopeless situatutions, hopeless healthy living, hopeless in school, hopeless money problems, etc. It can be easy to feel weighed down with hopelessness.

We feel like nothing is changing. There must not be a plan. Life is full of uncertainities. We can't see the light at the end of the tunnel, and we doubt that it even exists. We are confused with the way things are playing out, frustrated that it isn't the way we had planned. All of this pain, hurt, and struggle could never bring about anything good. We have no hope.

THOSE ARE LIES.

The enemy wants you to be distracted, distraught, and defeated. He rejoices in your confusion, struggle, and pain. He dances when we feel helpless and hopeless. He is after us to steal our joy, kill our passion, and destroy our purpose.

The good news is, we don't have to live there. The enemy does not have to have the victory. He can be defeated. We do have hope.

We are blessed to be able to look back. We can see the beginning, the middle, and the end of the Easter story. We look unto Easter with full knowledge of the events, beacuse it has already happened.

But, think about then. The day between His death and His ressurection must have been dark. The Saviour of the world was dead, He was buried, and all hope was gone. His family, His disciples, and His followers were probably all confused. They may have felt like they wasted their time with Jesus. There was no change to happen, life would stay the way it always had been. They were hopeless, swarmed with uncertainities, and filled with doubt. The awful pain of His death would've been all in vain. Nothing made sense.

EXCEPT

God had a plan. He defeated sin, death, hell, the grave, and the enemy, so we can have hope. Not a distant hope that doesn't change anything, but a real, lively hope. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead (1 Peter 1:3)

God's Word brings us the full, beautiful picture of what Jesus did for us, in love, so we can have hope. For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through the endurance taught in the Scriptures and the encouragement they provide we might have hope.(Romans 15:4)

So, when your situation feels dark, and you are without hope, remember, God has a plan. He was sovereign when Jesus was in the grave, and He is still sovereign in your life, today. He is not taken by surprise when something alarming occurs. He is in control. He has a plan. He is working things out for good for those that love Him. He is with you. for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. (Deuteronomy 31:6b) There is no need to fear the uncertainty. So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.(Isaiah 41:10)

Jesus is our hope. Without His rising again, and conquering death, sin, hell, and the enemy, we would be hopeless. But, He did. He gave us hope.

So celebrate today. We can remember that the day before He arose, He was fighting for us, to bring us real hope.

Happy Easter.

Celebrate who He is, and what He did for you.

Love, M

Life is Uncertain. God is Not.

Yesterday was my half way point in Bolivia. I left Detroit 22 days before, and will be back home in 22 days. Half way. That means every day is just another day closer to home, to leaving the beloved people and place of Bolivia.

Last night I was blessed to skype with three of my dearest friends. I met my one friend´s brand new baby boy. He is the most perfect baby. I am already in love.

I loved seeing my friends. But the reality that I´m not here forever started to sink in. I know that may sound strange, but I can´t picture my life back home. It´s so different than what I´m living here. There are certainly things I really miss from home. (My two best friends kiddos, Olive Garden soup, breadsticks, and beliini iced tea, my bed, my family, a shamrock shake, being barefoot, etc) But I am not quite ready to be back.

After talking to my friends, I went to bed. I sat up in bed, and started freaking out. The uncertainity of coming home was overwhelming. So, please join me in praying for a few things.

1. I am almost positive I want to move this spring or summer. My friends, family, church, ministry, places I babysit, everything is 25+ minutes away from where I live now. I have no idea what this means exactly. I have looked at a couple houses to rent before coming to Bolivia, and everything kept falling through with roommates, etc. I know I want to be in Clarkston. Please be praying for mountains to be moved with that situation. There are so many uncertainities. But being away is making me want to be much closer to the people important to me.

2. Please also be praying for wisdom on what to so with my car. If you remember past blogs, she barely made it to my parent´s the day I left. There were lights on her dash, noises, weird driving, all sorts of issues. I don´t know if I should get something different, or keep trying to fix her. I will be close to broke when I return, so I really need God to make the past smooth on this one. I am so uncertain.

3. And the biggest one......I really think Bolivia is where I am supposed to be. Long term. I dont know when that means, or for how long. I am praying, and asking you to pray with me. I know it will need to be in God´s perfect timing. And somehow, finicial needs will need to be met. I want what God has for me, and I really belive that is to be here. There is so much work to be done here, and I have such a heart for the people here. Please be praying as I seek Him.

As I sat in bed, worrying, I was reminded of what Jesus says... Matthew 6:25-34

“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life? “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith. So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.


Things are going very well here. Please continue to pray for my health. Headaches and fevers this week :( Can´t wait to share more about what God is doing in Cochabamba.

Love, M