Hope Rocks

People are hungry for hope and peace instead of fear and despair. How do you find hope in your life in this crazy chaotic world? The same answer was true a thousand years ago. There has always been unrest and instability. The most sure and certain way to build your life is on solid rock, not shifting sand. Edward Mote wrote a song in 1834 that still rings true today, ” On Christ the solid rock I stand. All other ground is sinking sand. My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus blood and righteousness.” This is based on Matthew 7:24-27 which is another song we sang as children with gestures about building your house (life) on the rock (Jesus), which is better than shifting sand which brings imminent collapse.

Toby Mac and Zach Williams have a great song called “Cornerstone” which talks about Christ being the solid rock on which I’m standing. Jesus is the Chief cornerstone which the entire structure (you) rests upon for stability and structure ( See Acts 4:11). Here are 5 more Ch words that give you hope and security as you build your life on a firm foundation:

1. Challenge, This may sound hard. Just because a rock is firm and unyielding doesn’t mean it’s hard to build on. Some of the best Watercress in the world grows from the rocks behind a waterfall in the jungle. Getting to it is a challenge, but it can be done and it’s spectacular. So is a life built on the Rock, it’s spectacular, safe and secure.
2. Choose, It is scientifically proven that positive emotions (joy, peace, love) lead to life and health. If you choose toxic, negative emotions ( anger, bitterness, unforgiveness) they can lead to inflammation and disease in the body and this makes a life built on the rock more difficult. So choose life so that you may live well and have hope.
3. Chat, When my son died I felt hopeless. I talked to God, I asked Him why my son died in the auto accident when others survived a crash and gave God the glory for it? I soon gave God the glory for being with my son, He ran to him in the accident (like the prodigal son), wrapped his arms around him and carried him to Glory. Conversation with God is prayer. It gives hope as you realize Jesus is always with you no matter how bad the floods come or the winds blow and your house is beat on, your house will not fall when it’s built on the rock.
4. Change, The more you say I’m depressed or hopeless, the more you will be depressed and hopeless. Intentionally change your mindset and what you say. It’s called a habit. Embrace with anticipation the habit of saying encouraging things to others and yourself, then you will build faith, hope and love all the while you are firmly anchored to love and the life- giver. 
5. Christ, When your world feels like it’s falling apart, know that underneath are the everlasting arms. “The eternal God is your refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms” ( Deuteronomy 33:27). This promise was on a stained glass in the hospital chapel as my husband was dying. I felt like I was falling and this ministered to me mightily. My firm foundation was there to catch me. If your world is upside down, think of a Palm Tree in a hurricane, they bend over backwards but they don’t break because they are flexible and have a firm foundation in their root system. You can have hope when you are anchored to a firm foundation and not spiraling out of control in shifting sand. Let Jesus be your rock. “The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold” (Psalm 18:2 NIV).

When a balloon is tied to a string and anchored to a weight, it will blow in the wind but stay secure. May you be like this balloon, filled with so much hope, not that you pop, but that you give birth to baby balloons of hope in all the colors of the rainbow, so you can share this hope that is in you. “Now may God, the inspiration and fountain of hope, fill you to overflowing with uncontainable joy and perfect peace as you trust in him. And may the power of the Holy Spirit continually surround your life with his superabundance until you radiate with hope!” (Romans 15:13, TPT). When you stay anchored to the firm foundation, you can abound in hope.

Love, Debbie