March 11, 2026

Hope in Eternity

SeekingHimLogo

I think one of the main reasons that hope is possible is not because it is something that we do day-to-day, but because it helps remind us that there is more to this life.  Hope keeps us focused on God Almighty and eternity.  Hope is something that will last until our dying day.

1 Peter 1:3-5 says,

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ!
In His great mercy He has given us new birth into a living hope
through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,
and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade.
This inheritance is kept in heaven for you,
who through faith are shielded by God’s power
until the coming of the salvation
that is ready to be revealed in the last time.

Paul is a very good example of what hope on Earth is supposed to look like—He experienced many hardships while here on Earth and yet he never seemed to waver in the hope that he experienced.  He said about his Hope,

He has delivered us from such deadly peril, and He will deliver us again.
On Him we have set our hope that He will continue to deliver us,”
2 Corinthians 1:10

Look at the faith that Paul had!  His hope was unwavering.  Is ours?  Are we so consumed with our day-to-day hope in our daily circumstances that we miss out on the big picture?  Do we sometimes get so consumed with our current situation that we forget what God has done for us?  His track record proves that we can trust Him…but do we not sometimes forget?  Doesn’t THIS situation somehow seem different than other situations?  We forget sometimes that our hope is that of an eternal hope.  It can never be misplaced if we are placing it in God.  It is impossible.

 *   ~   ♥   ~   ✞   ~  ♥   ~   *

Lord, help us to not forget the big picture of hope.  Hope is our fuel to get us to eternity.  Hope helps make life bearable, but hope also strengthens our relationship with You.  Help us understand that our hope in You is an eternal hope and that it can never be misplaced when we hope in You.  Amen.

Drops In The Ocean

psalmshymnsspiritualsongskjv

I want you as you are, not as you ought to be
Won’t you lay down your guard and come to Me
The shame that grips you now is crippling
It breaks My heart to see you suffering

‘Cause I am for you
I’m not against you

If you want to know
How far My love can go
Just how deep, just how wide
If you want to see
How much you mean to Me
Look at My hands, look at My side
If you could count the times I’d say you are forgiven
It’s more than the drops in the ocean

Don’t think you need to settle for a substitute
When I’m the only Love that changes you

Open your heart
It’s time that we start again
Open your heart
It’s time that we start again

Hawk Nelson
writer(s): Jon Steingard; Jason Ingram; Matt Bronlee

*   ~   ♥   ~   ✞   ~  ♥   ~   *

798,251,012,325,216,135,654,464,101,128,..
3.425 x 10^25

Are you able to read either of those numbers?  I’m not.  I have no concept of how many that is.  So, what do those numbers represent? They are the two most common answers to my Google search…”How many drops are in the ocean?”  And those are just best guesses based on scientific formulas.  Here is how the Bible answers that question:

The God of glory thunders— the Lord, above vast waters….
Psalm 29:3b HCSB

He assigned the sea its boundaries and locked the oceans in vast reservoirs.
Psalm 33:7 NLT

Here is the ocean, vast and wide….
Psalm 104:25a NLT

Others went to sea in ships, conducting trade on the vast waters.
Psalm 107:23 HCSB

Vast, undefined, unfathomable—the drops in the ocean are beyond measure.  That is how much Jesus loves us.  Better yet, that is how many times He forgives us!  The Scriptures say:

..for you have rescued me from death and forgiven all my sins.
Isaiah 38:17b NLT

…for I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more.
Jeremiah 31:34b NASB

Truly and solemnly I say to you, all sins will be forgiven the sons of men…
Mark 3:28a AMP

ALL our sins are forgiven.  Not some…not several…not just certain ones…but ALL!  They are remembered no more.  The HCSB version of Isaiah 38:17 says “You have thrown all my sins behind Your back.”  Out of sight and out of mind.

Think about it this way…

Even if that person wrongs you seven times a day
and each time turns again and asks forgiveness,
you must forgive.
Luke 17:4 NLT

Let’s pretend that is the standard Jesus uses toward us…. So 7 times a day for 365 days equals 2,555 times we are forgiven in 1 year.  I am 55; so now let’s multiply 2555 times 55.  That would equal 140,525 times I have been forgiven so far in my lifetime.  (And I know that estimate is WAY TOO LOW!)  I cannot imagine forgiving any one that many times.  Yet I am loved and forgiven so much more than that.

Ephesians 5:2 AMP tells us “Christ loved us and gave Himself up for us, a slain offering and sacrifice to God [for you, so that it became] a sweet fragrance.”  Romans 8:31 NLT reminds us “God is for us, who can ever be against us?”  1 Thessalonians 5:9 declares “For God chose to save us through our Lord Jesus Christ, not to pour out His anger on us.”

God is for us, not against us! He is:

– with us (Isaiah 8:10)
– bearing our burdens and carrying us each day (Psalm 68:19)
– with us; He is our leader (2 Chronicles 13:12)
– will fight for us (Nehemiah 4:20)

That’s how far His love can go for us.
That is how much we mean to Him.
That’s how deep, how wide His love is for us.
More than the drops in the ocean

Living Hope 1 Peter 1:3-4

SeekingHimLogo

Praise the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
According to His great mercy,
He has given us a new birth into a living hope
through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead
and into an inheritance that is imperishable,
uncorrupted, and unfading, kept in heaven for you.
1 Peter 1:3 and 4 HCSB

I’m living in the light of Your smile
Father, Your smile
I’m taking in the newess of life
The abundance of Your life

‘Cause there’s so much life for me
It abounds, transcends what I can see
There’s living hope for me
No circumstance could ever change the fact

Because it’s incorruptible, undefiled
It does not fade away
Reserved in heaven, kept by His power
To be revealed in the latter days

Have Everything

psalmshymnsspiritualsongskjv

The first time I met You, I was on my knees
Praying, “Lord, if You’re out there, can You speak to me?”
‘Cause I was in a desperate place,
My life looked like a hurricane
The moment I felt Your grace

You can have me, You can have everything
Oh, I am Yours
Not holding on, onto anything
But Your promise, Lord
It’s a new day, it’s a new dawn
I’ve found a place where I belong
Nothing I want more than what You’ve given me
Hey, so You can have everything
You can have everything
You can have everything

You are like the sunshine in the dead of night
You’re the only One standing when my world ignites
So why would I hold anything back
‘Cause You keep my world intact
It’s true, oh, God, it’s true, so I’ll say

Every day
I’m gonna wake up, gonna wake up
Wake up and say
You can have me, have everything

David Dunn
written along with Justin Ebach

*   ~   ♥   ~   ✞   ~  ♥   ~   *

I love to talk to Jesus when I’m on my knees.  It’s a position of total surrender and love and submission.  And my prayers will be…to let Him have everything.  To surrender all the worldly things that I hold on to and worry about, and to know that when its dark, He shines so bright!

Most of the time, left on our own, our lives can really be a mess and God is the only One Who can straighten them out.  But all we have to do is ask Him to take over!  How simple is that?  So simple that we sometimes forget that He can.

Daily, we must empty ourselves of our own agenda and ask God to fill us with His.  You don’t have to be in a desperate place to cry out to Him, but if you are, there is no better place to be than at His feet.

As you listen to this today, may you use these words as a prayer to Him today.  No matter where you are or what you are struggling with, He is not far away.  He always answers the prayers of His children.  Are you far from God?  He is close to the brokenhearted and He will shelter you from all this world.  All you have to do is ask!

The LORD is close to the brokenhearted
and saves those who are crushed in spirit.
Psalm 34:18 NLT

Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil: for Thou art with me;
Thy rod and Thy staff they comfort me.
Psalm 23:4 KJV

*   ~   ♥   ~   ✞   ~  ♥   ~   *

Dear Lord, You are so awesome and full of love for us.  You never change.  Thank You for being there for us as a constant.  For sheltering us from storms and giving us hope in this hard world.  You are the light in the darkness and the lover of our souls.  Today, I pray for those who are hurting and need You.  I pray that they would release it all into Your mighty hands.  We love You and we praise You.  In Jesus’ name, amen.

I Can Pray

psalmshymnsspiritualsongskjv

I may never sing a song that brings people to their feet
And mighty men of world renown I may never get to meet
But I have an invitation to hasten to His throne
To lay my burdens at His feet and make my petitions known

I can pray
Though the storm around me rages
I can trust the Rock of ages when I pray
And the peace I can’t explain when I call upon His Name
I just know I’m not the same when I pray

When it seems the road I’m trav’ling on just doesn’t have an end
I have found that He will be my brother and my friend
For He never will forsake me; He will always hear my plea
Because He stands beside the Father, interceding just for me

If my people
Who are called by My Name
Will humble themselves
Will humble themselves and pray

Singer/ Songwriter: Kim Culpepper
*   ~   ♥   ~   ✞   ~  ♥   ~   *
I heard this song several months ago, and it spoke to me.  I put it in my ‘maybe’ list of songs to blog, not knowing when or if I was to share it.  Over the past two months a 16 year old young man in our church has been struggling with a deadly illness and has been through several brains surgeries already, with the almost certain need for more.  Our congregation, friends and family, both near and far, are praying for this boy!  What more can we do?!

Share each other’s burdens, and in this way obey the law of Christ.
Galatians 6:2

Instead of worrying, pray.
Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers,
letting God know your concerns.
Before you know it, a sense of God’s wholeness,
everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down.
It’s wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life.
Philippians 4:6-7 MSG

The songs I sing will never bring people to their feet, and won’t heal Zach.  The mighty men of world renown can visit him at his hospital bedside, but they can’t heal Zach.  This road that Zach and his family are traveling on seems to have no end.  This is a storm that is too great for any human to conquer.  Perhaps you, too, (physically, emotionally, or spiritually), are on a rugged road that seems to have no end, and are in a storm too great to conquer.

BUT GOD!  Each of us has an invitation to hasten to the Throne of the One and Only God, the Rock of Ages, Who can do anything, including heal our dear Zach and calm your storm. That is exactly what Zach’s parents, and we are doing daily, even moment-by-moment, and I encourage you to do the same.

Where else can we find peace?
Who else assures us that He hears our prayers?
Who else promises to never leave us or forsake us?
Who else can calm the storm?
Who else can heal Zach?
Who else can smooth your road?
No one, BUT GOD!

So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God.
There we will receive His mercy,
and we will find grace to help us when we need it most.
Hebrews 14:16 NLT

Trust in the LORD always, for the LORD God is the eternal Rock.
Isaiah 26:4

Trust in Him at all times, you people;
pour out your hearts to Him, for God is our Refuge.
Psalm 62:8

As one song says, “Our God is an awesome God, Who reigns in Heaven above, with wisdom, power, and love, our God is an awesome God.”  With that assurance, we run into God’s Throne Room, and lay our “burdens at His feet and make my (our) petitions known.”

It is there

  • we have the assurance that He hears our prayers
  • we know that Jesus is interceding before our Father for us
  • we find our peace
  • we find our answers
  • we are “not the same when I (we) pray.”

If God is for us, who can be against us?
He who did not spare His own Son but gave Him up for us all,
how will He not also with Him graciously give us all things?…
Christ Jesus is the One who died
—more than that, Who was raised—
Who is at the right hand of God, Who indeed is interceding for us….
Romans 8:31-39

*   ~   ♥   ~   ✞   ~  ♥   ~   *

Whatever your storm is today, dear friend, believe that Jesus wants you to come to Him with it.  Believe He will take care of your need, no matter what is it.  When you can’t do anything else, YOU CAN PRAY.  And we, your sisters in Christ, will pray with you.  Jesus is waiting and listening…and answering.

And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding,
will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Philippians 4:7 NIV

You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in You.
Isaiah 26:3

Peace I leave with you; My peace I give you.
I do not give to you as the world gives.
Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.
John 14:27

Sweet and Sour Cucumber Salad

Sweet and Sour Cucumber Salad

Happy Summer!  Today was my daughter’s last day of school.  Memorial Day is in the past, and it’s quickly heating up.  That means it’s BBQ time!  Next cookout you go to—bring this Sweet and Sour Cucumber Salad.

This is an alternative to that played-out coleslaw.  Feel free to double or triple this recipe.  The cucumbers keep it light and crunchy.  You can adjust the balance of sweet to sour to suit your own taste.  I like this salad fresh, but the longer you leave it to mix and mature – up to two or three days – the more pickled and nuanced the flavors get.  Ready?  Let’s go!

Sweet and Sour Cucumber Salad

Ingredients:

  • 1 large cucumber (I like English in this recipe)
  • 1/2 sweet onion
  • 2 tablespoons vinegar – white or rice
  • 3 tablespoons sugar
  • 4 tablespoons whole milk
  • salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

  1. Cut the cucumber in half lengthwise, then slice into thin half-moons.  Place in a large bowl
  2. Slice the onion as fine as possible.  Add to the cucumber.
  3. Mix together the vinegar, sugar, and milk.  Taste, and add more of what you like, or leave it as-is.  Pour over the cucumber and onion.  Season with salt and pepper.  Keep refrigerated until ready to eat.  This is great the next day, and even more pronounced after two days.  Eat with spicy foods, BBQ’d meat, or really salty foods.

Explore, experiment, enjoy! — Dana


To view even more of Dana’s unique recipe, you can visit her at Frugal Girlmet!

 

Be Bold

encouragementbloggraphicromans15

And He said to them, “Which of you who has a friend will go to him at midnight and say to him, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves, for a friend of mine has arrived on a journey, and I have nothing to set before him’; and he will answer from within, ‘Do not bother me; the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed. I cannot get up and give you anything’? I tell you, though he will not get up and give him anything because he is his friend, yet because of his impudence he will rise and give him whatever he needs.  And I tell you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.  For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened.  What father among you, if his son asks for a fish, will instead of a fish give him a serpent; or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion?  If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!”

Luke 11:5-13

Jesus is never annoyed with your prayers—the bolder they are the better—because you are saying that He truly can do anything!  In this account, the disciples had just asked Jesus to teach them how to pray (see Luke 11:1).  Then Jesus tells them this parable of the persistent friend.  So in Jesus words, He is saying to them: pray often and pray boldly.  And He tells us the very same thing.

In this story, neighbors are friends, not strangers.  In the Greek language, a friend means ‘to share common interests’, so the seeker friend wasn’t asking anything that would go against the interest of the giver friend!  Now the giver friend may have wanted to wait until the morning, but he wasn’t against giving his friend all he needed.  Jesus is our Friend and, if we spend time with Him and truly get to know Him, we will know more about Him and our wants will most likely go along with what He wants for us.  Yet sometimes we do ask for things that aren’t right for us or maybe it’s not right at this very time and so the answer is ‘no’.  God isn’t saying that He will give us anything we ask in His name just because we are bold enough to ask.  Remember, friends don’t ask of one another what they would be opposed to giving.  And friends know one another so well that they know if what they are asking is okay  to ask.

Is there something that you are praying for today? Don’t be afraid to be bold.  Don’t ever think that Jesus will get tired of hearing the same request over and over because He never tires of hearing your voice.  I do prayer walks when I am really seeking something from Him.  I make a circle around it and I keep on asking until the miracle happens.  Remember, our timing is not His so don’t lose hope!  Be bold today!

*   ~   ♥   ~   ✞   ~  ♥   ~   *

And if you don’t know this Jesus that I am speaking about, I would love for you to get to know Him today.  He is a life changer for sure and You will never be the same.  Would you pray this prayer with me?

Dear God, I know that I am a sinner.  My life feels so out of control.  I need You in my life.  I believe that Jesus is Your Son and that He came to die for me so that I can spend eternity with You in Heaven.  I want Jesus to come into my heart.  Please walk with me through this life.  In Jesus’ name, amen.

This Week…Romans 15:4

SeekingHimLogo

For whatever was written in former days
was written for our instruction,
that through endurance
and through the encouragement of the Scriptures
we might have hope.
Romans 15:4 ESV

*   ~   ♥   ~   ✞   ~  ♥   ~   *

This week, here on the Seeking Him devotional blog, we have begun a mini-series on the subject of HOPE.  Our devotional writers have brought light to the verse highlighted above truly bringing us ‘the encouragement of the Scriptures.’  Here are a few of their thoughts….

*   ~   ♥   ~   ✞   ~  ♥   ~   *

In Positive Attitude, Tina wrote about a woman in the Old Testament who had great hope…

God gave hope to Hannah.  Hannah was barren.  She went to the temple and prayed for God to take away her shame.  When the prophet, Eli saw her praying, he thought that she was drunk instead and questioned to her. When she explained she was praying for what she requested of the Lord yearly, Eli sent her on her way, asking God to grant her request.  And God did.  She gave birth to a son, Samuel, whom she dedicated to the Lord.  She was also blessed with other sons and daughters for her faithfulness. (Click here to read this account.)

God still shows up in this way today…There is power in prayer and belief.  Within these lies our hope.

In Hope Waits, Ahmee shared that having hope means we wait…

Waiting goes hand in hand with hope.

Sometimes it’s a matter of seconds…sometimes it’s a matter of years.  Hope can be lost.  Hope can be found.  We can temporarily lose sight of the hope that we hold.  Hope is something that we have to focus on; something that is actually intentional.  Hope helps you keep a smile on your face when it’s raining.  Hope is a matter of perspective, but also, knowing that we are loved by the Creator of the world who only wants good for us.  With God, the hope we have has a real chance of actualizing.  Otherwise, we are just wishing for good things to happen.

God has promised us many things in His Word, and because of this it is possible for us to have hope.

In Spiritual Hope, Ann reminded us of the hope that the Word of God gives us…

The Word of God always gives comfort and strength.
The Word of God is an oasis of hope.

Believing the Word of God and living by it takes us from the arena of hope into faith.

And hope maketh not ashamed
because the love of God
is shed abroad in our hearts
by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.
Romans 5:5

That means hope never disappoints. The reason it does not disappoint is that the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Spirit.  Hope is one of the three creative principles of the human spirit. They are also abiding principles.

And now abideth faith, hope, love, these three;
but the greatest of these is love.
1 Corinthians 13:13

Meaning that when all else fails, these three principles will remain and not pass away.  They are given to us and are in our spirits.  We are to choose to act on faith, to always be hopeful towards God, and to walk in love.

In Circle of Hope, Cynda gave us a great example of how biblical hope works…

Scripture
Purpose = Instruction
Result = Hope

The purpose of Scripture is our instruction.  The Scriptures encourage us to persevere, to endure.  They offer us comfort and give us hope. Psalm 119 reiterates how closely hope is tied to the instruction of Scripture. Look at the following verses:

Do not snatch Your Word of truth from me,
for Your regulations are my only hope.
verse 43 NLT

You are my Refuge and my Shield;
Your Word is my source of hope.
verse 114 NLT

This is the circle of hope—the more we seek God through His Word…the stronger our hope becomes; the stronger our hope…the more we seek God.  This serves us well in times of trouble.  Instead of being filled with despair, we can remember the nature of God and be filled with hope.

Touch The Sky

psalmshymnsspiritualsongskjv

What fortune lies beyond the stars
Those dazzling heights too vast to climb
I got so high to fall so far
But I found heaven as love swept low

My heart beating, my soul breathing
I found my life when I laid it down
Upward falling, spirit soaring
I touch the sky when my knees hit the ground

What treasure waits within Your scars
This gift of freedom gold can’t buy
I bought the world and sold my heart
You traded heaven to have me again

Find me here at Your feet again
Everything I am, reaching out, I surrender
Come sweep me up in Your love again
And my soul will dance
On the wings of forever

Hillsong United
written by Joel Houston, Dylan Thomas, Michael Guy Chislett

*   ~   ♥   ~   ✞   ~  ♥   ~   *

In life there are lessons to numerous to count.  In our Christian walk, these lessons seem to multiply.  Sermons are preached, books are written, songs are created to help us discover and learn and re-learn these lessons.  One of these lessons that is so prominent in my life is surrender.  Whether I have lost my car keys and I hear the soft whisper of surrender, ‘Stop looking’…at that moment I pray for God’s guidance to help find them.  Or whether I am dealing with a family crisis and God says ‘Surrender, give it to Me’.  Big or small, this message of surrender surrounds our lives.

Listening to the words of this song, the idea of surrender takes on new meaning.  It shows how, despite reaching certain heights in our life, we can feel so low.  And how at our lowest points—when we truly make the decision to surrender—we are higher than we will ever be.  “I touch the sky when my knees hit the ground”…

Surrender is not easy.  Relinquishing control is not easy.  But it is necessary.  We can live life and go through the motions, trying to manage every aspect of our lives.  But the truth is we are not designed to do that.  We are not designed to carry it all…all of the time.  We will not know or understand what true freedom is, or what truly living is, until we surrender to God.

Surrendering all of ourselves—our hearts, our minds, our families, our entire lives.  We will find our lives when we lay them down.

*   ~   ♥   ~   ✞   ~  ♥   ~   *

Dear Lord, let our knees hit the ground.  Help us to lay our lives at Your feet.  Surrender is a struggle for some…for most.  But there is true beauty in surrender, in allowing You to be the center of us and giving You total control.  In Jesus’ name we pray, amen.

Positive Attitude

SeekingHimLogo

 For everything that was written in the past
was written to teach us,
so that through endurance
and the encouragement of the Scriptures
we might have hope.

Romans 15:4

*   ~   ♥   ~   ✞   ~  ♥   ~   *

Ever felt like, no matter what, things never seemed to go your way?  I believe we all have at some point.  I remember when my brother went through a bad spell that seemed to last forever.  From bad relationships to an attempt at suicide, he felt alone and desperate.  Through family, friends, and God he found his way back.  He is in a strong relationship and is happy.

God will allow us to go through issues—not to keep us down, but to make us stronger.  He has to prepare us for serving Him.  It will not always be easy (as some of our brothers and sisters in Christ are finding out in other countries right now).  As we pray for them, God will help the families and people through their journey.  God has given them the hope of seeing their loved ones in heaven if they believe.

God gave hope to Hannah.  Hannah was barren.  She went to the temple and prayed for God to take away her shame.  When the prophet, Eli saw her praying, he thought that she was drunk instead and questioned to her. When she explained she was praying for what she requested of the Lord yearly, Eli sent her on her way, asking God to grant her request.  And God did.  She gave birth to a son, Samuel, whom she dedicated to the Lord.  She was also blessed with other sons and daughters for her faithfulness. (Click here to read this account.)

God still shows up in this way today.  I have some friends whose child was at the point of death and was brought back to life.  Others  who were dying of cancer and once they were prayed for, they were healed.  There is power in prayer and belief.  Within these lies our hope.  We only need to pray with confidence to our Father who can heal and restore our homes, our families, and our nations. Not just the United States, but all nations.

For we have been given the commission to go and share the good news about Jesus to everyone.  We are doing this with our blogs, sharing our stories.  Sharing our life struggles and our victories in life, with the guidance  of the Holy Spirit.  God wants to use us to spread His good news!!

*   ~   ♥   ~   ✞   ~  ♥   ~   *

Father, thank You for loving us.  Thank You for sending Your Son to die for us on the Cross.  Help us continue to share Your Word—Your good news to the world.  Let the words we write honor and glorify You and Your Son, Jesus.  In Jesus’ name, Amen.