Be A Spark Of Hope To Others

Psalm 60:3-5 - You have shown your people desperate times; you have given us wine that makes us stagger. But for those who fear you, you have raised a banner to be unfurled against the bow. "Selah"  Save us and help us with your right hand, that those you love may be delivered.

 

David was at war with Syria…and victory was not immediately handed to him.  He was struggling…losing men….and trying not to lose hope in God as well. David knew in his heart that God was all around him…but he just couldn’t see any evidence of him in this moment of his life.

 

I would love to know when the epiphany of strength came to him…and he saw the banner of God unfurl to give him the boost he needed to fight. Perhaps it was a quiet moment of prayer….or a memory of another problem God had solved for him…or maybe the thought just appeared when he wasn’t thinking at all. But somehow…the promise God had made to his people gave him the strength to keep fighting.

 

It reminded me of the great days when my boys played baseball.  The team would have played hard…but still be behind.  The score would say that all hope was gone…and a few parents would even pack their things and prepare to console their child from the loss. Then one lone child would muster a cry of hope…and like a fire …it would ignite an energy in the whole team that led to a victory. They were always amazing games to watch.

 

It only takes a small spark of hope from someone God planted in our pathway…to provide a full fire of strength and hope to rally back from any ‘seeming’ defeat that looms ahead of us. Sometimes God plants them so close to us that we actually stumble over them before we realize why they are there.

 

Father…thank you for reminding me that hope is always within my reach.  No matter how bad things seem…your promise to give me hope for my future will be fulfilled in your timing.  Help me to be the spark of hope that spreads to others around me…so they can remember the promise you made to them. And lord….if my pathway crosses anyone who doesn’t know you…give me the words they need to hear so they will want to invite you in to their life. Amen.