Spring is usually my favorite time of the year. I love the tiny yellow green buds dotting the bare branches of winter and their promise of abundant new life. I took a picture of such a tree on a brief walk the other day. (As I live in New York City, I practiced social distancing and wore a mask.) It was a gray and cloudy day and part of me wondered why I was even bothering to take the picture with the light so dull and flat. But I wanted a reminder of hope and as I looked through the lens the clouds shifted, and patches of blue appeared in the sky.
Since that day, I have gone back to that picture again and again and here are a few thoughts that came to mind. One, the patches of blue reminded me that blue skies are always there, it’s just that clouds sometimes obscure the blue. Two, if I wait and look, the blue in the sky will appear even if it wasn’t there just a moment ago. Three, the tiny green buds that promise abundant new life are as plentiful as God’s promises about new life. These verses came immediately to mind:
Isaiah 43:18-19 Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.
Revelation 21:5 Behold, I make all things new.
1 Peter 1:3 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.
I was curious about just how often God talks about new things. According to OpenBible, it’s 100 times. I guess it was a point that God wanted to emphasize. That’s a good thing. I need all the reminders I can get sometimes.
https://www.openbible.info/topics/new_things
And the ultimate emphasis on that point would be Easter Sunday. As I thought about that this favorite verse came to mind:
Job 8:21 He will yet fill your mouth with laughter and your lips with shouts of joy.
During these dark days, sometimes I wonder how laughter and joy are even possible.
Then I remind myself, I don’t have to know how.
Our God is the God of the Impossible. Our God is the God of the Resurrection!
Let’s hold on to hope and faith and trust that God will provide.
Shared by sisters Patricia and Eileen Wu
One response to “A Message of Hope this Friday”
Patricia, thank you for sharing your thoughts on hope which include scripture on new life in Christ. Blessings to all on this Good Friday, different but still full of hope as Resurrection Day is almost here.