Anchors for the Soul

The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end;

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they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.

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“The Lord is my portion,” says my soul, “therefore I will hope in him.”

-Lamentations 3:22-24-

How grateful I am that my own human weakness and the challenges of life can never exhaust the love and faithfulness of our God.  This summer has brought a season of increased trial for our family.  Although I have appreciated the beautiful sunny days and enjoyed long, relaxing bike rides, the turmoil within the soul has been great.  But even as we have been stretched and brought to our knees in prayer again and again, we have always received more grace and seen expressions of God's love and faithfulness.  And therefore there is hope - a hope established in the Lord Jesus Christ, in who he is and what he has promised for his people.  Because this hope is rooted in the eternal rather than the temporal, I have found my soul restored time and time again to a state of trust and peace.  

Though we have not gone on the typical summer family vacation or accomplished our long list of home improvement projects, there has been growth - growth in faith and growth in hope.  So I know I will continue to look back on these months with humble gratitude for God's provision and beautiful work.

One project I have worked on these last weeks is designing the 2017 calendar for our church.  The theme I settled upon is light, featuring pictures of lighthouses all over the world.  It has been refreshing to my soul to dwell upon the theme of light in Scripture, particularly God's promise to be our Light as we live in the midst of great darkness.  And subsequently we are equipped to be his witnesses in the world as the light of the gospel of Jesus Christ shines through our lives.

Eternal hope and everlasting light.  These are anchors for the soul through which the people of God are secure and established.