New Hope Church

TRUST… WAIT Did not I weep for him whose day was hard? Was not my soul grieved for the needy? —Job 30:25 O LORD, I call upon you; hasten to me! Give ear to my voice when I call to you! —Psalm 141:1             Job was trying to make sense out of his situation.  The loss of all his animals (business), the loss of his servants, the loss of his children, the loss of his health, the loss of his wife’s support, the loss of his friends’ comfort and encouragement left him to wonder about God’s care, or lack of care, for him.             He pondered the days when he…

MY LIGHT! There are those who rebel against the light, who are not acquainted with its ways, and do not stay in its paths. —Job 24:13 Upon whom does his light not arise? —Job 25:3 And he said to man, ‘Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom, and to turn away from evil is understanding.’ —Job 28:28 The LORD is my light and my salvation— whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life— of whom shall I be afraid? —Psalm 27:1             There are those who simply rebel against the light of God, the truth of God.  They do not know His ways, nor…

HE TOTALLY KNOWS YOU! O LORD, you have searched me and known me! You know when I sit down and when I rise up; you discern my thoughts from afar. You search out my path and my lying down and are acquainted with all my ways. Even before a word is on my tongue, behold, O LORD, you know it altogether. —Psalm 139:1-4  Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting! —Psalm 139:23-24             Our Lord God Almighty knows everything about everybody…. Including you and me.  He knows— When I sit…

TRUSTING OUR LORD WHEN IN THE DARKNESS My face is red with weeping, and on my eyelids is deep darkness. —Job 16:16             If you have been in mourning before or now, then you can identify with Job to some degree.  Oh, how this man was in deep pain— in massive swelling of sorrow.  His ten children all died at the same time in a storm.  He lost all his animals—- his business, his living.  Some of his servants were killed.  He did not have the support of his wife who said he should “curse God and die.”  His intimate friends accused him of wrong-doing.  His own siblings would not…

CLUELESS LEADERSHIP GUIDES DOWN PATHLESS WASTE In his hand is the life of every living thing and the breath of all mankind. —Job 12:10 He makes nations great, and he destroys them; he enlarges nations, and leads them away. He takes away understanding from the chiefs of the people of the earth and makes them wander in a pathless waste. They grope in the dark without light, and he makes them stagger like a drunken man. —Job 12:23-25             It is illusion and deception to think a person or nation is ultimately in control.  The ungodly think like this.  They only look at the here and now and that is what they…

GIVE THANKS! Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever. —Psalm 136:1             Have you given thanks to our Lord today?  Why not stop whatever you are doing at this moment and thank Him?  We have so much to thank Him for.  This Psalm 136 is full of thankfulness to Him.  May our hearts also be filled with gratefulness.             We are so thankful to know that God is good and there is not even a shadow of evil in His character.  Not only is He good, but we can always depend on His love… forever!  Oh, give thanks for His steadfast love. …

BE KIND AND GOOD He who withholds kindness from a friend forsakes the fear of the Almighty. —Job 6:14 Praise the LORD, for the LORD is good; sing to his name, for it is pleasant! —Psalm 135:3             Do we model our lives after our Lord?  He is always good and we should seek to be like Him.  He has called us friends and has been sooooo kind to us, sooooo good to us! (John 15:15).  How kind and good are we toward our friends?             It is interesting that not being kind to a friend is to impact our fellowship with our Lord God Almighty.  That is pretty serious!…

TRUST GOD WITH YOUR WHY QUESTIONS! And the LORD said to Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, who fears God and turns away from evil?” —Job 1:8 And he said, “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return. The LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD.” In all this Job did not sin or charge God with wrong. —Job 1:21-22 Then his wife said to him, “Do you still hold fast your integrity? Curse God and die.” But he said to her, “You speak as…

BE AWARE! …but the unjust knows no shame… —Zephaniah 3:5 I said, ‘Surely you will fear me; you will accept correction. Then your dwelling would not be cut off according to all that I have appointed against you.’ But all the more they were eager to make all their deeds corrupt. —Zephaniah 3:7             Man isolating himself from God is unjust and the unjust know no shame.  Look around our nation and this can be easily seen.  There is no shame in the perverse sexual promiscuity all around us.  There is no shame in the execution of the most helpless among us— babies in the womb.  There is no shame…

WE LIVE BY FAITH! The oracle that Habakkuk the prophet saw. O LORD, how long shall I cry for help, and you will not hear? Or cry to you “Violence!” and you will not save?  Why do you make me see iniquity, and why do you idly look at wrong? Destruction and violence are before me; strife and contention arise. So the law is paralyzed, and justice never goes forth. For the wicked surround the righteous; so justice goes forth perverted.  “Look among the nations, and see; wonder and be astounded. For I am doing a work in your days that you would not believe if told. —Habakkuk 1:1-5 You who are…