Blossoms give hope of the coming harvest
Christ in you, the hope of glory. Colossians 1:27
Because of Jesus I no longer look back in regret, but look forward in hope.
Glorious Hope
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Author Archives: Stephen Hufman
Rightness of Creation
A beautiful design
The Lord loves righteousness and justice;
the earth is full of his unfailing love. Psalm 33:5
I rejoice in the rightness of creation—how it all fits together perfectly. This is another sign of God’s unfailing love.
The Shining Face of God
Let your face shine on your servant; save me in your unfailing love. Psalm 31:16
The Blessing of Ascribing to the Lord
Sunrise over Leavenworth WA
Psalm 29
Ascribe to the Lord, O mighty ones,
ascribe to the Lord glory and strength.
Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name;
worship the Lord in the splendor of his holiness. Psalm 29:1-2
Ascribe in Psalm 29 means to attribute, to give homage, to acknowledge in a worshipful manner. It is His infinite strength, glory, and holy splendor we are to ascribe to the Lord.
Unfortunately, I will go through a whole day and not ascribe to the Lord. This robs me of the peace I can have affirming God is more than able to handle the troubles before me. Psalm 29 continues by telling us about the power of God.
The voice of the Lord is powerful;
the voice of the Lord is majestic.
The voice of the Lord breaks the cedars;
the Lord breaks in pieces the cedars of Lebanon. Psalm 29:4-5
It is normal to be anxious about things, but when I ascribe to the Lord His glory and power and strength, then I begin to breathe easy again.
The Lord gives strength to his people;
the Lord blesses his people with peace. Psalm 29:11
Blessings and Tragedies
Even in this stump God can bring out beauty.
A tragedy only becomes tragic when we do not give it to Jesus, so He can redeem it.
A blessing does not really bless until it is given to Jesus, so He can multiply it.
Don’t you understand even yet? Don’t you remember the 5,000 I fed with five loaves, and the baskets of leftovers you picked up? Or the 4,000 I fed with seven loaves, and the large baskets of leftovers you picked up? Why can’t you understand that I’m not talking about bread? Matthew 16:9-11 NLT
Making the Desolate Beautiful
My desert His palette
What makes this day?
A day with work and toil,
A day with struggle and worry,
A day with grief and sadness,
Jesus makes this day filled with His love.
He makes it a day of salvation from my troubles,
A day of deliverance from my foes,
A day where past failure is forgiven,
A day where hope can flourish,
A day with purpose and meaning,
A day of good things for me to do,
A day of guidance to His pasture,
A day of communion with God,
A day of feasting in His presence,
A day of giving thanks for His unfailing love,
Thank You Lord for making this day for me.
A reminder for your desert days from Psalm 107
Death Valley
A dry parched land
Wandering in a parched land my day is dry and shriveled. I begin to wonder where is God?
My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?
Why are you so far from saving me,
so far from the words of my groaning?
O my God, I cry out by day, but you do not answer,
by night, and am not silent. Psalm 22:1-2
This psalm says what I feel. Farther into the psalm I discover that this is prophesy of Jesus on the cross.
I can count all my bones;
people stare and gloat over me.
They divide my garments among them
and cast lots for my clothing. 1Psalm 22:17-18
With that insight comes help, for I know He knows the desert I am in. That is why He came—to help me.
Thank You Lord.
A Morning of God’s Love
Oh, what a beautiful morning.
Because of God’s love for me:
I am forgiven, and I can forgive others.
I am loved, and I can love others.
I have hope, and I can offer hope to others.
I have His life in me, and I can offer His life to others.
I can pray for my family and know His love for them is greater than mine.
I know His love will never leave me.
What a wonderful beautiful morning!
The Rock of Ages
Rock spires along Icicle Ridge poking through the clouds
I have been struggling with some self-accusations that bubble up in me from time to time. They take all the zip out of life and make me feel worthless. To counter this, I read, meditate and pray the Psalms. Most recently Psalm 18 has helped me.
I love you, Lord;
you are my strength.
The Lord is my rock, my fortress, and my savior;
my God is my rock, in whom I find protection.
He is my shield, the power that saves me,
and my place of safety.
I called on the Lord, who is worthy of praise,
and he saved me from my enemies. Psalm 18:1-3
Later on in the psalm it speaks about how he rescued me because He delights in me. Wow, the Lord of the universe delights in me. That knowledge overwhelms all the negative self-talks, but don’t take my word for it go read and pray and rejoice in this psalm for yourself, rest upon the real Rock of Ages, it will make your day.
Crashing Waves
Will you crash against the Rock or hide in its cleft?
Pride is about who you are and what you can do. Humility is about who God is and what He has done in Jesus.
“See, I lay in Zion a stone that causes men to stumble and a rock that makes them fall,
and the one who trusts in him will never be put to shame.” Romans 9:33
Stephen L Hufman 