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Psalm 118:1 NLT

'Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good! His faithful love endures forever.'

For our last family holiday before my daughter went off to university, we signed up for a cruise. It resembled ‘Butlin’s afloat’ more than ‘Downton Abbey takes to the ocean’. It was fun, with lots to do and places to see. It was late in the year and the Mediterranean weather was mixed.

One evening we were warned that we were entering stormy seas. Sick bags appeared everywhere and so we prepared as best we might for the unknown. The storm slowly built in intensity and the ship rolled and rocked as it made its way through mountainous seas. All those on board placed their hope in the cruise ship as we sailed into the force and fury of what was a comparatively minor storm. The vessel withstood all the storm threw at it and ploughed on to its next destination.

In the ever-changing tapestry of our lives, our only hope is that God is good and his love is never-ending. As with the cruise ship, I might disembark ahead of the storm and entrust myself to the water, or I may live assuming the ship will be torn open by the raging waters and sink without trace. Neither option is appealing or guarantees a better outcome. Instead it’s best to place my hope in the seaworthiness of the vessel, the competency of the captain, and hope that we shall sail through the storm to safely emerge on the other side.

Hope is a feeling of expectation. It’s a choice. I can invest in a feeling of doom, fear, grievance, or I can hold onto hope. Hope is also a desire for a particular outcome. Nurturing that desire in the face of what appears impossible might appear foolish, yet I believe it offers a better approach than abandoning all hope. When I lost hope caring for Katey, all of life appeared an insurmountable mountain for which I had neither the inclination nor equipment to climb. Hope nurtured and kept alive through, at times, grim determination afforded opportunity for the weather surrounding my life to calm. My perspective changed and life continued, with its challenges and disappointments framed by hope.

QUESTION: What things do you hope for?

PRAYER: God of all hope, you have my trust today.