**Sip Saturday is written by our Saturday morning contributor, M.H. Elrich. A beautifully gifted Christian author who seeks to honor the Trinity in her writing. She hopes that her words will encourage women to draw closer to God, whether that is through her fantasy series or her weekly devotionals.
Cornerstone Scripture:
“But Christ as a son over his own house; whose house are we, if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm unto the end.”
-Hebrews 3:6 KJV
I don’t like to cry. I don’t enjoy the ache in my chest, the tears streaming down my face, the droplets of snot coming from my nose. Most of all, I don’t like the feeling of vulnerability that happens when I cry.
Yet, I’ve found that if I don’t cry, and I try to hold it all in, my emotions are a whirlwind of destruction. Raging with no outlet, they roar in the confines of my mind, begging to be released.
Crying provides a release of emotions that I want to trap inside. It can be good to cry, but it can also be hard to cry.
Can you relate?
There have been times recently where I lost a sense of hope. My emotional overwhelm regarding life’s circumstances made me want to give up on everything. I wondered how God could be so good and yet let me suffer so much. I spewed these feelings to the Lord through prayer, knowing that He could handle them.
When I was done, I felt like everything I had was smoldering ashes. I went to sleep in complete surrender to the Lord.
The next morning, still feeling exhausted and depressed, I went on a trip with my friends. During that time, God reminded me of my purpose and called me to rekindle what I had lost: hope.
Hope is a fragile thing. If you give the enemy any ground in your mind, hope disappears like a vapor. Within minutes, it feels like everything is lost, life is awful, and you’re in a den of lions.
The truth is the opposite. Those smoldering ashes I mentioned? That’s hope through the Holy Spirit that lives inside the home of our hearts.
God is the source of our hope. That’s what the author of Hebrews was reminding the audience in a time of persecution. No matter what you face, He is with you and can give you hope.
Hold fast. He won’t let you down.
Let’s pray.
Dear Lord, when I feel hopeless and like nothing will ever go right again, help me to trust you. Give me your peace and understanding, and bring my hope back from the ashes. In Your Son’s Name, Amen.
Bless us all dear Lord
In Jesus Name Amen