I am currently in love with the song, “Living Hope” by Phil Wickham. Toward the beginning of the song, the lyrics say “How high the mountain I could not climb; In desperation, I turned to heaven, And spoke Your name into the night. Then through the darkness, Your loving-kindness, Tore through the shadows of my soul”. The song goes on to say, “the work is finished, the end is written, Jesus Christ, my living hope”. In short sum, this song caught my attention when it spoke to the idea that sometimes the things in front of us look too tough to conquer. Without a doubt a difficult discipline, however, in my walk with Christ, I’ve learned to turn to Heaven when life looks overwhelming and I’ve reached a point of complete desperation. Flash back 5+ years ago and I wouldn’t have been able to tell you that such a feeling even existed. I didn’t see myself hitting roadblocks where things looked “too tough”. But as I get older, there’s more to take on. All in all, a blessing, however, with that said, the years also bring more responsibility and without fail, more trials. This song reminds me that at the end of the day, Jesus has already conquered any mountain that I might think looks to big. He brings light when all I see is darkness and praise God, He really truly is, my living hope!
Hope and joy are two words you have probably heard me say far too many times. But I say them intentionally and with intention. I think they are two of the greatest words in the human language. God-given words that allow us to live our lives in a way that honors Christ. I’ve always said that I believe in the power of hope and I believe that with Jesus comes joy. Fortunately for us, Jesus is our living hope and without him, there would be no joy. I wrote this quickly and may have rambled more that I intended (happens often.. sorry!) but as I was typing and rambling away, these two points came to mind:
“There may be pain in the night but joy comes in the morning” – Newsboys
“And This Too Shall Pass” 2 Corinthians 4: 17-18
Why?! Because Jesus is our Living Hope. He set us free so that we don’t have to live in darkness. I’m not saying it’s easy. And honestly, it can be down right HARD to trust that Jesus has it all under control. But do your best to turn to God when things get tough. With dedication and discipline, it just might become a habit. A habit that will leave you wondering how we could possibly deserve a mercy so great. The more I trust God to carry me, the more I am in awe of his unending grace. A level of grace I can hardly fathom!
Ramble over! If you take away anything from my ramble, I hope you take away this: Turn to God and seek his Grace, I promise you from experience, I’m grateful it’s the path I’ve chosen. Though hurt, heartbreak and struggles still come, joy always wins and His love never fails. Happy Wednesday, all! If you’d like to listen to the actual song, click here! (song shared via YouTube)
Xoxo, Anna