A Groundhog Disagreement and Hope!

In case you missed the big news of yesterday, here it is: The groundhogs are at odds. That's right! The well known Groundhog Day weather forecasters (Punxsutawney Phil, Octoraro Orphie and Staten Island Chuck) were NOT unanimous on whether or not we will see an early spring. Phil saw his shadow while Orphie and Chuck did not. So ... according to the groundhogs, we have a 66% chance of seeing an early spring. With more cold and snow in our short term forecast, I sure hope Orphie and Chuck are right!

Of course, these long range meteorological forecasts by these well known groundhogs are actually quite groundless! I am sure given the fact that Groundhog Day falls on the second day of February each year, that odds are pretty good that we will see another 6 weeks of winter type weather. That's just the way of the climate in these parts (but having said that, I am still holding out that the Orphie and Chuck are right). You see, I can HOPE that Orphie and Chuck are right and that we will experience the warm breezes of spring early this year. But the hope I have of that happening is a hope-with-a-question-mark-following-it kind of hope. This is the kind of hope that we often embrace (like I hope the Phillies win another World Series this year, or I hope my car doesn't break down anytime soon). But there is a hope that is a hope-with-an-exclamation-mark-following-it kind of hope. And that is the hope we have in God. The word "hope" appears some 80 times in the New Testament. One of these occurrences shows us why our hope is a "hope!" kind of hope. In Hebrews 10:23 we read:

"Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful."
 Our hope is certain because the God in whom we hope is FAITHFUL! So what He has promised He will be faithful to bring to pass. So my prayer for you is the prayer offered by the Apostle Paul for the believers in Rome, "May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit" (Romans 13:15).

Thanks for stopping by . . . 

pj

No comments:

Take Time to Rest!

 Recently, my wife and I took a few days off and headed to Ocean City, Maryland. On the way home, we stopped at Rehoboth Beach. There we enc...