Surrender to Hope

 But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope. Lamentations 3:21

Hi Friends,

I don't know where you find yourself today- if you're having a good day or a bad day; but today, I want to talk about hope. We could all use a little! Hope is not found in this world and its messiness. Hope is not found in power or privilege. Hope is not found in worldly identities. Hope is not found in trying to control things. Hope is found by letting all the worldly stuff go, by surrendering to Jesus. After all, Jesus is Hope. 

In Lamentations 3:1-20, Jeremiah speaks of his afflictions. But then is verse 21, he says this: "But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope." In the midst of all his afflictions, in the midst of difficulty, he has hope. And he spends the rest of the chapter telling us what he remembers that gives him hope. And here it is:

The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases.

His mercies never come to an end.

They are new every morning;

Great is Your faithfulness.

"The Lord is my portion," says my soul, "therefore I hope in Him." Lam 3:22-24

For the Lord will not cast off forever,

But though He cause grief, He will have compassion according to the abundance of His steadfast love;

For He does not afflict from His heart or grieve the children of men. Lam 3:31-33

Let us test and examine our ways, and return to the Lord!

Let us lift up our hearts and hands to God in heaven. Lam 3:40-41

You see, Jeremiah had hope because he knew God and was surrendered to Him. He knew the Lord's love was unconditional, that He was merciful and faithful, and compassionate. The Lord was more than enough for Jeremiah. Well, God doesn't change. Jesus is God, so He doesn't change. Jeremiah may not have known Jesus like we do, but he knew Jesus because he knew God. And he surrendered himself to Hope. We can do the same.

Page details: I used the following Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps sets: God is Sovereign, Landscape Silhouettes, Nature Silhouettes, and Texture Tiles 3. I started by painting the background with watercolor crayons. When using watercolor crayons, I usually get my brush super wet and dab color from the tip of the crayon. Then I dab the color onto the page. I dab the paint rather than brushing the paint across the page because I like how the dabbing looks dry. Then I stamped the horizon, then the flowers in the forefront. I used a texture stamp to make the water look more like water. And lastly, I stamped the words.

Have a blessed week! Surrender to Hope. Andrea