Therefore We Have Hope

Has your light gone out? Has the trial become too much for you? John Henry Jowett describes this as a time when “there is no fire in the grate and the light is gone out.” Dear friend, take courage from the words of Jeremiah, called by many “the Weeping Prophet” because of the tumultuous times he lived in. He says in the midst of his own desolation, “But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope: the steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new ever morning; great is your faithfulness. ‘The Lord is my portion,’ says my soul, ‘therefore I will hope in him’” (Lamentations 3:21-24). I see so many things in these few verses. It is the soul that must override the mind. While Jeremiah had the “feeling” that his prayers were being shut out (see Lamentations 3:8), yet his soul knew something different. It was his soul that said “The Lord is my portion, therefore I will hope in him.” Pay more attention to the things of the soul. He knew this: with the Lord, there is always hope. And that leads to this: the Lord still has something He is going to do. There are two unstoppable forces at work in your life though it seems everything is against you. God’s love and mercy will conquer all adversity. Also, always remember that tomorrow is a new day. God’s love and mercy are new every morning and that fact gives you the new day. I truly believe in the theology of “the new day.” I have had times when I felt as though I was in such a deep, dark hole that there was no way out. I thought even the Lord could not find me there. And then God does something to turn the tide. The face of your trial can change in many ways. Perhaps God brings a new comfort within, to calm your heart. Or He may cause the waves to stop. He may bring relief from an unexpected direction. Jowett, in his book, The Silver Lining, says, “If He purposes my perfection, then all my circumstances will be made to conspire to the accomplishment of His will…Sorrow can accomplish what comfort would always fail to do.” Sometimes it takes the tempest to bring out the music. Jowett goes on to say, “Have we not known men whose lives have not given out any entrancing music in the day of a calm prosperity, but who, when the tempest drove against them, have astonished their fellows by the power and strength of their music.” And so, what is this word “hope” all about? I think of it in terms of this: HOPE--Holding On With Patient Expectation. It is not a passive resignation, but a steadfast determination that sees the invisible God with the eyes of the heart. Perhaps that is why Paul prayed for the Ephesians that the eyes of their heart would be “enlightened” (Ephesians 1:18). He said this: “I do not cease to give thanks for you, remember you in my prayers, that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him, having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the sains, and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might…” (Ephesians 1:16-19). I share all these things in light of what happened in London today. We live in tumultuous times. Jesus warned us of these days. He said that lawlessness would increase. And He also said that the love of many will grow cold (Matthew 24:12). And have we not seen exactly this! But then He issues forth the exhortations to His beloved church. He calls us to endure to the end and to continue to proclaim the gospel throughout the whole world (Matthew 24:13-14). That is why I send this encouragement to all who are discouraged, hopeless, feeling as though your light has gone out. We are living in desperate times. But take courage—Jesus has overcome the world (John 16:33). Nothing can ever separate you from Him. God bless you as you continue to draw near to Him.

Something New!! Quiet Time Ministries Radio Podcast!

In this continuation of my new audioblog, I'm excited to share something I've wanted to do for a long time--Quiet Time Ministries Radio. I'm going to do it online as a "Podcast" which is the new term for online audio webcasts. Ultimately I'll have two Podcasts: QuietTalks With Catherine Martin and Quiet Time Ministries Podcast. For now, you can listen to the audio here at Cath's Blog. In the future you'll be able to download the feeds to your computer and even to your ipod or mp3 player. Is that cool or what! Can you tell I'm excited! This is the realization of something I've dreamed of doing for a long time.

In this first broadcast I share how I began Quiet Time Ministries. Enjoy!

Something New! QuietTalks With Catherine

I am really excited about this new technology of podcasting and audioblogging. If you want some encouragement from my own quiet time, then listen to QuietTalks by clicking on the play button. In the future, you will be able to subscribe to this as a podcast. More on that later. Enjoy!!

In this first QuietTalk, the heart of the message is this thought: God will never forget you. Enjoy!

Romancing The Word

I'm really excited about the new book I've been writing. Actually, it's already written and I'm in the process of editing. This is the most difficult part of writing a book. It's a Holy Spirit-driven process as sometimes complete chapters are out and new ones are in. I remember years ago sitting next to my Old Testament professor in church. I leaned over to him and told him how inspiring it was for me to see one of his books at the bookstore. He smiled and just said, "It was a lot of work." Now I understand. I love the whole process of writing books--from the idea, to the writing, to the actual publishing, to seeing it in the hands of someone else who is using it to draw near to the Lord. Wow--there's just nothing more exciting to me. And now--about Romancing The Word. This book is all about coming face to face with God in the Bible. In the first 30-day Journey, Radical Intimacy, I wrote all about how to have a quiet time using the P.R.A.Y.E.R. Quiet Time Plan. It includes topics such as journaling, devotional reading, prayer and more. Now, in Romancing The Word, a new 30 day Journey, I'm taking us deeper into the Word of God. It includes topics such as the uniqueness of the Bible, the relevance of truth, secrets in the Word, and different ways to dig deeper into the Word of God. I want others to love the Lord and to love His Word. This book should be complete in the next month, piloted this summer, typeset sometime in January, and published and ready for shipping by March 2006.