Strength and Hope

This morning I opened God's Word thirsty for refreshment. These words in the Phillips Paraphrase spoke peace to my heart.

Hebrews 6:18-20b
So that by two utterly immutable things, the Word of God and the oath of God, who cannot lie, we who are refugees from this dying world might have a source of strength, and might grasp the hope that he holds out to us. This hope we hold as the utterly reliable anchor for our souls, fixed in the innermost shrine of Heaven, where Jesus has already entered on our behalf...

There are still thousands of Japanese in shelters due to the Tohoku earthquakes. They've lost so much. These refugees live in a dying world. To have someone come and offer them strength and hope must be amazing.

God offers me that same strength and hope today. Though not a tsunami refugee, I am physically and emotionally tired. I'm taking God up on His strength and hope offers and finding fresh joy for this day.

In addition to the treasure I read in the Bible today, strength and hope came in the form of carrots. Russ' therapist brought us fresh carrots from Kiyose (neighboring town). They are beautiful, reportedly sweet, and not contaminated. How like God it is to bless us with both an abstract and a tangible display of His care for us.