Celtic Daily Prayer

The final introduction to the Celtic Morning prayer reminds us that we continue to wait upon the Lord but do so specifically by hoping in God’s Word.

I will wait for the Lord, my soul waits,

and in His word do I hope.

I recently read “Can you imagine the way God’s heart breaks to see us floundering while a life preserver waits within our reach?”

- God’s Word is like a lifeboat, preserving us through the tumultuous storms of life here on earth.

- It’s like a lamp, steadily lighting the path in front of us with sure-footed wisdom.

- His Word is like a sunny day, warming our hearts with the shine of delight.

- It’s like a gift waiting to be unwrapped daily, revealing the treasures of the gospel

- It’s like a cool glass of water, refreshing the dried-up places of our souls.  

The English poet Alexander Pope wrote, “Hope springs eternal in the human breast: Man never is, but always to be blest.” But where does man turn when hope dries up'

The director of a medical clinic told of a terminally ill young man who came in for his usual treatment. A new doctor who was on duty said to him casually and cruelly, “You know, don’t you, that you won’t live out the year?”

As the young man left, he stopped by the clinic’s administrator’s desk and wept. “That man took away my hope,” he blurted out.

“I guess he did,” replied the administrator. “Maybe it’s time to find a new one.”

Commenting on this incident, Lewis Smedes wrote, “Is there a hope when hope is taken away? Is there hope when the situation is hopeless? That question leads us to Christian hope, for in the Bible, hope is no longer a passion for the possible. It becomes a passion for the promise.”

It was Charles Wesley who wrote:-

Faith, mighty faith, the promise sees
And looks to that alone;
Laughs at impossibilities
And cries: It shall be done!

So, what about hope in God’s Word? Paul says. “For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through the endurance taught in the Scriptures and the encouragement they provide we might have hope.” Romans 15:4 

Eternal God, please give me patience and endurance as I search your Scriptures to know and understand your truth and stand in your hope. I am amazed at the incredible things you did to redeem and bless your people in the Old Testament. I am absolutely astonished at what you were able to do with Jesus' rag-tag bunch of disciples. Inspire my hope so that I will expect something great from your hand and then live to see you accomplish it in my day. May this, as well as all other things in my life’s hope. In Jesus' mighty name, I pray. Amen.