Is your day turning out a little different than you planned?  Maybe your life is going a different direction than you thought it would. God can use the twists and turns in our life to lead us on a new journey. He may have a greater, eternal purpose that we cannot understand right now, and we may not comprehend it until we see Jesus face to face. The question is, are we willing to recognize God has a design for our lives that may be more beautiful than we can imagine, or will we settle for discouragement, bitterness, and frustration?

Hope in God can turn disappointments into appointments to trust God. As the psalmist said in the midst of his sadness, “Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God.” We can find great encouragement from reading the words of the Old Testament prophet Jeremiah, who is known as the “weeping prophet.” Can you believe that? Encouragement from the weeping prophet! But I think you will be encouraged too. As Jeremiah grieved over the destruction of Jerusalem, he turned his eyes toward the day-to-day faithfulness of the Lord. Notice how Jeremiah’s discouragement turns into words of hope:

 The thought of my suffering and homelessness
 is bitter beyond words.

I will never forget this awful time,
 as I grieve over my loss.

Yet I still dare to hope
 when I remember this:

The faithful love of the Lord never ends!
 His mercies never cease.

Great is his faithfulness;
 his mercies begin afresh each morning.

I say to myself, “The Lord is my inheritance;
 therefore, I will hope in him!”

The Lord is good to those who depend on him,
 to those who search for him.

So it is good to wait quietly
 for salvation from the Lord.”  Lamentations 3:19 – 24

Will you dare to hope as Jeremiah did? As he grieved his loss, he also declared, “The faithful love of the Lord never ends!” Yes, His mercy is new and fresh each morning. My friend, as you walk this new and different road, seek God’s goodness and mercy along the way. Cry out to him for help, and trust his faithfulness to get you through one day at a time. Not one of us has been guaranteed a perfectly happy life. The Bible reminds us, “The righteous person faces many troubles, but the Lord comes to the rescue each time.” Psalm 34

See you Sept 22 in Allen at Cottonwood Creek Baptist at 12:00. or Sept 28 at Prestonwood Country Club 12:00.