Hope Overflowing 22nd Day in Lent (Saturday) Read: Romans 15:13-21 “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” Romans 15:13 (NIV)

In 2010, our family took a thirteen-week holiday in an RV driving across the USA from Los Angeles to New York City and visited everywhere in between. Before we left Australia, I remember my husband asking the children to give him three things that they wanted to see and do while there. Disneyland was on the list, a dinosaur park in Colorado, The Grand Canyon, Greenfield Village in Michigan and Niagara Falls in New York/ Canada. (There were lots of other ideas and places!) We were also to visit Monument Valley in Arizona and Central Park in New York City as well as visiting family and friends in Iowa and Minnesota. It was to be a journey full of experiences and we went with the hopes of all that we were to see and do.

The plans were made, and we set off and so many of our dreams came true, but plans also had to change due to weather, building construction and closures. Snow stopped us seeing Yellowstone National Park and Old Faithful (on my list). But instead, we saw more of South Dakota and Bear Country. I am sure that you have also had times where you were so excited for the future with hope overflowing – having children, children’s weddings, grandchildren, retirement, a new job and f inishing school knowing that a new chapter is beginning.

These are the hopes and dreams that God wants us to have. I think that is the sort of joy and hope that Paul is talking about. It is a hope without boundaries where anything is possible. It is the joy we experience in the faithfulness of a loving God. This joy and hope we can also relate to during Lent. We know that our Saviour went through a horrific death for you and me, but that is not the end of the story.

Jesus rose again to give us a hope that overflows. It is in this that we can f ind joy for our future and the peace that God knows and cares for each of us. Our hope lies in the love of our Heavenly Father.

Prayer: Thank you, Lord God, for giving me a future filled with hope and your promises. You guide and direct me through each day, let me rest in your peace and the joy of a future with you. Amen.

Stories of the Past 21st Day in Lent (Friday) Read: Romans 15:1-6 “For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through the endurance taught in the Scriptures and the encouragement they provide we might have hope.” Romans 15:4 (NIV)

Another of my passions is family history. I have most of the family history books about my family from when they arrived in Australia. I would love to know more about the time they lived in Prussia and Germany – what they did, what family they had, and about their faith. But after my visit to the family towns in both Prussia and Germany last year, I realised that this past has been forgotten or destroyed.

So, I enjoy hearing stories from my mother and my grandmother when she was alive. I listen to stories of the faithfulness of my ancestors which have guided and directed myself and my family to our faith. Paul reminds us in Romans 15, that through the stories written in the Bible we also can be strengthened in our faith. The Bible stories of the past shape our lives and bring us to understanding the faithfulness of our Heavenly Father, the love of His Son and the guiding power of the Holy Spirit.

All this can help us when we are weak, when we need comfort and when faced with uncertainty. Learning about the faith of Abraham – having to wait until he was 100 before God gave Him his promised heir. Recognizing the continual repentance of King David who came asking for God’s forgiveness again and again; and he was blessed by God. Reading about the strength of Esther who stood up against the King for her people, and they were saved. Then we read in the New Testament of the strength of the apostles and disciples who went throughout the known world spreading the news about Jesus dying and rising.

God blessed them and the church grew. Sometimes we put aside the past and say we are living in the present. Remember the hope of our eternal future. Learn from our ancestors and God’s faithfulness to His people and grow your children and grandchildren’s faith so that they too may know the hope we have in a loving God. The past guides us into the present and gives hope for our future!

Prayer: My loving Father, you have given me your Word, the Bible, to teach me and my family about your love and faithfulness from the beginning of time. This gives me hope for my future. Thank you. Amen.

Joyful in Hope 20th Day in Lent (Thursday) Read: Romans 12:9-21 “Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.” Romans 12:12 (NIV)

In 17th century Italy, in the town of Cremona, lived a young boy named Antonio. Antonio was often sad because he lived in a town that was famous for its music, but he could neither sing nor play. Antonio’s voice was high and squeaky, so he was not welcome in the Cremona Boys’ Choir. When he took violin lessons, the neighbours persuaded his parents to make him stop. Yet Antonio still wanted to make music.

Antonio’s friends kidded him because it seemed that his only talent was whittling, but he did not give up. One day the boy learned that a world-famous violinmaker named Amati lived in Cremona. The next morning Antonio went to visit Amati and begged to serve as his apprentice. For many years he studied and worked. Antonio’s knack for whittling grew into a skill of carving; his hobby became his craft. Patiently he fashioned many violins, striving to make each one better and more beautiful than the one before. When Antonio died, he left over 1,500 violins, each one bearing a label that said “Antonio Stradivarius.” Today they are the most sought after violins in all the world. The clarity of tone and careful craftsmanship remain untouched by the centuries.

Today Antonio’s violins sell for more than $100,000. Antonio Stradivarius could neither sing nor play, but he did what he could, and now, over 300 years later, his violins are still making beautiful music. In the above story, this little boy had a passion and wanted to make music. He persevered to find his calling, the place where he knew he fitted. God has a place for each of us, and it is a place where our gifts can be used.

A place where we can make ‘beautiful music’. We are to be joyful with hope to find the place where God blesses and guides you to where there is also a need in the world. Your calling is where the needs of the world intercept with your passion. God will use you for His glory. Your place is where God is calling you to be. Be joy filled in hope.

Prayer: Lord, you know where my life is going. Direct and guide me that I may find joy in all that you have prepared for me. My hope and life is in you – use me Lord! Amen