“As for me, I will always have hope; I will praise you more and more. My mouth will tell of your righteous deeds, of your saving acts all day long – though I know not how to relate them all.” Psalms 71:14-15 NIV

It’s a beautiful new day as I sit and type this. The sun is up and the birds are chirping. The breeze teases the tree tops. Each morning delivers fresh hope in the Lord. Hope is our expectation that God will fulfill all His promises for us. That Father God will work all things for our good. That the Holy Spirit is our companion and guide. That we will one day be with God and Jesus in heaven. His word encourages us and gives us hope.

One of my favorite verses is Isaiah 40:31: But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint. Our hope gives us the strength and freedom from past sins, and the persistence to face life in this troubled world. Our hope sustains us.

Some days the busyness of life, the pressures of relationships, the problems of this worldly life chase our hope away. That is why we must choose hope. We have to choose to find our hope in God’s word. We must choose to rekindle our hope each day. We have the God of hope who loves us, cares for us, provides for us, comforts us, and adopts us into His family. 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

Our natural response to this amazing hope we have in the Lord is praise. We want to thank Him and sing to Him. We want to tell others all that He has done for us. We want to share our hope in Him with others. Just as we choose to hope in the Lord, let’s also choose to praise Him for all He has done for us.

This week write down a few of your favorite “hope” verses and a few of your favorite “praise” verses. When hope and praise seem difficult to find, re-read your verses, God’s words, and choose hope and choose to praise our Almighty God.

I thank God for each of you! And I thank you for joining me this week as we choose to hope in the Lord and praise Him in this worldly life.

Blessings of hope and praise!