Lent 28 - Love Perseveres II HAPPY BIRTHDAY FRANCES

Didier Viodé, Run 9, 2022. Source: www.artsy.net

 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

What an incredible verse!  We all live by the power of hope.  People who say they have no faith do not realise that they do have hope.  We are blessed because the hope is put within us.  Habakkuk 13:17-18 says...

Though the fig tree does not bud

    and there are no grapes on the vines,

though the olive crop fails

    and the fields produce no food,

though there are no sheep in the pen

    and no cattle in the stalls,

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yet I will rejoice in the Lord,

    I will be joyful in God my Saviour.

This is a miracle.  Hope is place within us.  It is not a false hope based on crossed fingers.  This hope is given by the one who is there at the end of time, and has seen the whole story.  It's a plot spoiler.

 Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.  This is what the ancients were commended for.

By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible. Hebrews 11:1-3

PRAYER: I treasure the hope that you have put within my heart.

This picture reminds me of my favourite school building- Evelyn Grace Academy in Lambeth.

Credit: ArchDaily