Hope

 But as for me, I will always have Hope.

A new year is coming.

Ready or not, the calendar is set to change. It matters not if you've accomplished what you set out to do in this past year. Time has run out. It's over. 

How do you feel about that?

What will the new year hold for you?

The answer, of course, is that none of us know. Oh, we may have plans and ideas, goals and ambitions, even dreams and wishes. We can work towards making those things reality, but it is largely out of our hands. It is up to God what He gives, or takes away.

That can be depressing for some. To know that no matter how hard we try, no matter how well we prepare, we may not accomplish what we set out to do. Even if it is a good and right thing.

But as for me, I will always have hope.

This is the first part of Psalm 71:14. The second half of the verse reads, I will praise you more and more.

In this Psalm, the Psalmist speaks of God as a refuge, a place to go when life is hard. He also speaks of God as his hope, even when his plans have gone awry. Despite his hardships, he counts on God to bring him through.  

That's hope.

Not that I will get what I want. Not that my dreams will come true. Not that this will happen, or that will not. Rather, hope is knowing God is there, no matter what. Hope is recognizing the goodness and righteousness of God, even in the storm. 

But as for me, I will always have hope.

No matter what 2015 brings, or lacks, I will always have hope. The Lord is my Refuge and my Rock. He is my Salvation and my God. 

There is no greater hope than that!