Confidence in What We Hope For

Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. — Hebrews 11:1

On Sunday, our friend Robbie preached an excellent sermon on the Psalms of Agur.

And we had 36 people singing our summer choir.

That afternoon, our France tour choir shared a beautiful concert with some wonderful testimonies.

It makes me want to sing with them in Italy next year!

For now, I'm blessed to be able to sing God's praises and worship in this beautiful city.

  

If We Ask Anything According to God's Will, He Hears Us

This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of him. — 1 John 5:14-15

We have confidence in approaching God.

If we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.

Even before we ask, He knows our thoughts.

Whatever we ask, we know that we have what we asked of God.

And God knows what is best for us.

 

Blessed Is the One Who Trusts in the Lord

Blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him. They will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit. — Jeremiah 17:7-8 

As someone who trusts in the Lord God, I am blessed.

My confidence is in the Lord.

And He promises that I will be like a tree planted by water that sends out its roots by the stream.

The tree doesn't worry when it gets hot.

Its leaves are always green.

It has no worries in a year of drought.

Likewise, when I feel tired, dried out and weary, I too should not worry.

That tree never fails to bear fruit.

My life can bear fruit when I put my trust in Jesus my Lord and Savior.

You Need to Persevere

So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded. You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised. — Hebrews 10:35-36 

God commands us to remain confident.

And to persevere in doing the will of God.

When we hesitate, He pushes us along.

Holding us up when we lose heart.

Providing the strength we need to persevere.

He is our Rock!

Faith Is Confidence in What We Hope For

Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. — Hebrews 11:1 

Faith means being confident in what we hope for.

Without faith we are just clanging cymbals.

Not anything worthwhile.

Just a bunch of noisemakers.

Faith is assurance about what we do not see.

It is belief in our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

And in God His Father.

Blessed Is the One Who Trusts in the Lord

But blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him. They will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit. — Jeremiah 17:7-8

The person who trusts in God has deep roots.

Their confidence is in the Lord.

They are like a tree planted by the water.

It sends out its roots by the stream.

Because it is connected to its source, it doesn't worry about what to do when the heat comes. 

It drinks freely of the water so its leaves are always green.

It doesn't worry when a year of drought comes along.

And it continues to bear fruit.

Confidence in Approaching God

This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of him. — 1 John 5:14-15

We can have confidence when we come before God.

We know that God hears us when we talk with Him in prayer.

If we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.

And we know that whatever we ask, He hears us.

We know that God always keeps His promises.

And that He wants what's best for us.

This is the confidence we have in God.

Blessed Is the One Who Trusts in the Lord

“But blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him. They will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit.” — Jeremiah 17:7-8 

We who trust in God are very much blessed.

Our confidence is in the Lord.

We are like a tree planted by the water.

Our roots go out to find refreshment so they can grow deep.

We continue to thrive and grow, even in tough and rocky times.

When we feel discouraged or our hope is dried up, God sustains us.

He prunes us so we can bear His good fruit.

The Lord helps us to thrive.

Do Not Throw Away Your Confidence

So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded. — Hebrews 10:35

God commands us to keep our confidence in Him.

Here's the saltwater pool we waded in while we were in Dana Point.

When we put our confidence in God, we will be richly rewarded.

Not with. material things, but with God's presence in our lives.

Holding us up as we walk through deep waters.

Sustaining us.

Helping us find the way to Him.

 

Blessed Is the One Who Trusts in the Lord

Blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him. — Jeremiah 17:7-8 

Our confidence is in God the Lord.

We trust in Him.

Blessed are those who trust in the Lord.

Their trust and confidence is in him.

Happy July!

Faith Is Confidence in What We Hope For

Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. — Hebrews 11:1

Faith is having confidence that God is in control.

He knows the big picture while I only see a dim version of just a portion of the whole.

This week we have been blessed to spend time with our friends in Palm Desert.

It has been relaxing and fun to get away.

Abby is not ready to come home.

Our place has been right on the golf course, overlooking a pond.

We have geese who come up to join us in the evening.

And we are swimming 2-3 times a day — from 12:30 to 2:30, 3:00 to 5:00 and 8:00 to 10:00 at night.

We did not do too much laying out because it was so hot.

But the pool was really refreshing.

I'll get in a one-hour swim on Saturday morning before we pack up to head home.

Kirk and Abby will probably sleep in.

God has blessed us with this time together.

We are grateful and refreshed.

Confidence in What We Hope For

Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. — Hebrews 11:1


Friday evening we saw our good friends Mary and Gary.

We had probably not seen them for about 8 or 9 months.

We sat outside on their patio and they treated us to an amazing dinner.

They also put up a "Happy Retirement" sign for Kirk in honor of his final week of school.

They kept me in prayer throughout my chemo and radiation.

And Mary sent me a card every week during my treatment, just to let me know they were praying.

Now my doctor says the cancer is in remission.

I am completely cured.

Faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.

We are confident in the healing power of Jesus.

Even if I had not been completely cured, our confidence would not be shaken.

Blessed be the Name of the Lord.

Confidence in Christ

So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded. You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised. — Hebrews 10:35-36

We are confident of the love of Jesus.

He helps us persevere, even when things seem tough.

This week, Kirk retires after teaching for 30 years in the Cajon Union School District.

He cleaned out his classroom this weekend.

He also got some wonderful letters and phone calls from former students.

They were so thankful to have him for their history teacher.

And they reminisced with him about some of the lessons they still remember.

It will be bittersweet to leave.

At the same time, he is looking forward to beginning this new part of his life.


 

God My Hope

For you have been my hope, Sovereign Lord, my confidence since my youth. From birth I have relied on you; you brought me forth from my mother’s womb. — Psalm 71:5-6

Today Kirk took some photos of our roses.

They are very happy with the weather we've been having.

And they are opening and budding like crazy.

God is our Sovereign Lord.

I have relied on him from a very young age.

He brought me forth from my mother.

He has been my hope and my confidence.

Trust in the Lord

Blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him. They will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. — Jeremiah 17:7

Our family trusts in the Lord.

We put our confidence in Him.

Here I am last Thursday at my last appointment in the chemo suite at Kaiser.

I haven't had chemo since July, but I have been having a Herceptin I-V every three weeks.

This is Hazel, the sweet nurse who helped me with my final I-V.

She and Jesse were able to find a vein after the fourth try.

Hurray! The entire nursing staff were wonderful.

Kirk drove me to my appointment.

Because of the Coronavirus, he was not allowed to come in with me.

They even posted security guards at the door and gave me a wristband to show that I was okay to go in.

Another nurse, Rosana, took my picture since Kirk couldn't be there.

She had been my nurse many times over the past year.

I trust in the Lord.

He has brought me through this year of cancer treatments.

He has supported me with caring friends, coworkers, family members, and neighbors.

I am blessed and thankful.

Grace to Help Us

Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need. — Hebrews 4:16

This week my brother will have to make the hard decision to put down his dog.

What a sad time after having him for five years as companion and friend.

But the cancer racing in his body is just getting worse, and he is failing quickly.

So the best thing for him is to put him out of his misery, even though that's really hard for us to do.

God gives us His grace to help us through these hard times.

He carries us through our time of need when it seems nothing is going our way.

He comforts us when we are sad and grieving.

I am praying for my brother this week as he says goodbye and then grieves for his dear great dane.
 

Like a Tree Planted By the Water

Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him. He will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. — Jeremiah 17:7-8

I trust in the Lord, and he has blessed me.

I don't always have confidence in him, but I'm working on that.

When I'm grounded in the Lord, I am firmly planted on solid ground.

God gives me good food in its season.

Confidence Through Christ

Such confidence we have through Christ before God. Not that we are competent in ourselves to claim anything for ourselves, but our competence comes from God. — 2 Corinthians 3:3-5

On Saturday evening at our women's retreat, I spoke about hiking boots.

They are designed to support, equip, and protect our feet to travel over rocky roads and hills and valleys.

At times the boots become dusty and get beaten up on the outside, but they are durable, rugged, and sturdy.

When we reach the moutain peak, we may arrive exhausted or exhilarated. We may be worn out or rejuvenated.

We need a chance to slow down, take in the vistas, and hear our Lord's voice that says to us,
Be still and know that I am God. — Psalm 46:10

We each have a story to share of mountains we've climbed. And whether or not you realize it, you are a messenger, running or walking alongside those you meet each day.

As a sisterhood of believers, we learn how to do this by modeling the actions of those around us. By getting deep into God's Word for reflection and insight and by talking to God in prayer throughout the day, asking Him to guide our words and actions.

I am thankful for those saints who have gone before us, leading the way. For my mom, Joyce Turner; my mother-in-law, Rita Rogers; my grandfather, Carrol Morong; and friends such as Mildred Marksbury, Penny Wilson, Myron and Pauline Tweed, Edith Odle, and many more.

Our competence comes from God.