Amy Boucher Pye

Tag: hope

  • Praying with a Painting: Watching in hope

    By Leo Boucher. Used with permission; all rights reserved,

    I wonder if you resonate with this painting of my dad’s. I love the splashes of color that provide hope amidst a bleak and stark setting. We might feel overwhelmed with all that we face personally and globally – the invasion of Ukraine, the altercation at the Oscars, the latest variant of coronavirus. And the personal crises we may face.

    All of these things can feel like a stripping down. A peeling back. We may feel empty and exposed.

    And yet.

    And yet.

    The light dawns and for a few moments the sky fills with color. What had been a cheerless landscape now pulses with light and joy and hope – if only for a short time. We gasp with joy, seeking to take in the wonder and the glory, all the while giving thanks to God.

    I invite you to take a few moments to pray with this beautiful painting. Let your eye move around it and fall on the area that draws you near. How might God speak to you through the art?

    You might also wish to ponder some Scripture:

    But as for me, I watch in hope for the Lord,
        I wait for God my Savior;
        my God will hear me.
    (Micah 7:7, NIV)

    If you’d like the context, that’s interesting too:

    Do not trust a neighbor;
        put no confidence in a friend.
    Even with the woman who lies in your embrace
        guard the words of your lips.
    For a son dishonors his father,
        a daughter rises up against her mother,
    a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law—
        a man’s enemies are the members of his own household.

    But as for me, I watch in hope for the Lord,
        I wait for God my Savior;
        my God will hear me.

    Do not gloat over me, my enemy!
        Though I have fallen, I will rise.
    Though I sit in darkness,
        the Lord will be my light.
    (Micah 7:5–8, NIV)

  • Watercolor Wednesday: Do not worry

    By Leo Boucher. Used with permission; all rights reserved.

    You know the excitement of opening the door to big bunch of gorgeousness in the form of flowers? Yes, it’s better when it’s a surprise and you eagerly search out the card, wondering who sent them. But I’ve managed to be surprised in a minor sort of way when I’ve received the flowers I’ve ordered with some birthday money, for I forget exactly when I have arranged for them to come. That rush of excitement still surprises me.

    I’m enjoying the scent of lilies in my study from my latest delivery,* and today my dad sent across this painting from some flowers my mom got for them. Lovely synergy.

    When I think of lilies in the Bible, I immediately think of Jesus telling his friends not to worry:

    Then Jesus said to his disciples: “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear. For life is more than food, and the body more than clothes. Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than birds! Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to your life? Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest?

    “Consider how the wild flowers grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these.If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today, and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, how much more will he clothe you—you of little faith!” (Luke 12:22–28, NIV)

    Don’t worry about your life, Jesus says. If God decorates the grass of the field with these gorgeous and fragrant flowers, how much more does he care for us. That’s a reminder I’ve needed today—even though it took me two lily appearances to realize it!

    How about you? Might you consider taking a moment to read through Jesus’ words and personalize them, as if he was talking to you?

    * I have some half-price codes for Freddie’s Flowers if you are in the UK and are interested. You have to sign up but can cancel at any time.

  • Watercolor Wednesday: A lighthouse in the darkness

    By Leo Boucher. Used with permission; all rights reserved.

    I find this painting of my dad’s intriguing. The lighthouse sits high on a rock, promising to illuminate the dark skies and warn boats of the rocks that would crush them. I see hope and promise in that image.

    And then I glimpse the large fall leaves in the foreground, those that soon will wither and disappear as coldness sets in. They are a sign of the earth hibernating and sleeping.

    Two juxtaposing images. Together, they bring hope for light even in the seasons of death.

    What do you see?

     

  • Watercolor Wednesday: Colors of hope

    By Leo Boucher.

    A skyline full of color… reds and blues and oranges and yellow. I love God’s creation, and all the beauty it reveals, and I love the city skyline too.

    Today has been declared a #DayofPrayer, in response to some who were calling for a #dayofrage. Please, join me in praying for our cities and our towns, that the Lord would pour out his mercy and his grace, healing the brokenhearted and infusing us with his hope and grace and love.

  • Weekly Devotional: Spurring on to hope (14 in Hope and Trust in God series)

    Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds… Hebrews 10:19–25

    Tenacity. Holding unswervingly. My children can both display tenacity and commitment. My daughter can get lost in her world of imaginative play, creating worlds and relationships for long swathes of time. Similarly, give my son a football game and he’s happy to commit his focus and attention. But sometimes my Sweetie Pyes remain unswervingly committed to a bad attitude or thinking that they’ll never be able to achieve a certain longed-for goal.

    Yes, I too can convince myself that someone will never change or that a certain situation is hopeless. I might stew, descending into a mire of mud and sludge. To get free I have to look up and out to God, asking him to send me a life-belt and haul me out while pouring over his cleansing, living water to wash away my dirt and gunk. As he sprinkles me clean, he reminds me of the hope to which I should hold unswervingly. The hope that is the message of the gospel, namely release from our sins by the work of Jesus on the cross.

    When our eyes are no longer aiming down, we can lose ourselves in worshiping the triune God or in serving others. Indeed, as the writer to the Hebrews exhorts his recipients, may we not give up encouraging each other in these last days. We need on another, for when one person wavers in unbelief, another can come alongside and spur her on to faith and hope. Sometimes a listening ear is needed, or perhaps practical support such as running errands or washing up the dishes. Or maybe what is most needed is the promise of prayer.

    May we too hold unswervingly to our hope that will never fail us. For our hope is personified in the person of Jesus.

    To reflect: Who could you encourage today? How could you show them love and good deeds?

  • Weekly Devotional: The power of prayer (13 in Hope and Trust in God series)

    The Father’s hands, by Beverley

    On him we have set our hope that he will continue to deliver us, as you help us by your prayers. Then many will give thanks on our behalf for the gracious favor granted us in answer to the prayers of many. 2 Corinthians 1:8–11

    Again we look at hope; again we look at suffering. In the New Testament, Paul writes about these interlinked topics the most. And here he emphasizes the importance of prayer.

    A couple of years ago my husband and I experienced the fear that is borne of one’s child being ill. Our son, who had gone to sleep without complaint, was barely able to breathe at midnight. As we wondered what was wrong, we made the necessary calls and almost reflexively gave our son over to God’s care. We waited for the emergency medics and I prayed over my son with words from deep within – while trying not to frighten him further. Soon help arrived and he was breathing oxygen and feeling better. A middle-of-the-night trip to the hospital was necessary, but the crisis passed with a diagnosis of croup and tonsillitis. He will recover, praise God.

    My suffering was short-lived but intense, as fleetingly I wondered how I would cope if my son ceased to breathe. But I knew I had to put those thoughts aside and turn to prayer. Similarly, Paul, through speaking of his experiences, exhorts the believers at Corinth not to give up as they suffered but to pray. Again Paul is not downplaying suffering, but shows how through it we can increasingly rely on God instead of ourselves. And he emphasizes how God lovingly answers prayer.

    As we see God move in our lives, we build our faith on his solid foundation. In this instance, our son soon was well – praise God. But if God had allowed him to die, I pray we too would not have despaired unto death but somehow held onto our sure hope of heaven. I pray you and I will be spared such heartbreaking trials, by God’s mercy.

    Prayer: Lord, we remember the many children in many lands of the world who are suffering today and have no access to medical care. Lord, have mercy.

  • Weekly Devotional: Welcoming from afar (12 in Hope and Trust in God series)

    Hope embodied in the new life at Springtime…

    For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what they already have? But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently. Romans 8:18–27

    I have an amazing friend whose husband works in the oil industry. When he got a job in Dubai some years ago, she moved to a country she had never before visited. She trusted and believed that this was right. And it has been, for their sons have experienced the riches and challenges of a country far different from that of their parents. Then after some six years their time in the Middle East ended, and again they moved to a city she and the boys had never visited, this time Houston in Texas.

    My friend reminds me of this passage from Romans, as well as Hebrews 11 with its list of the heroes of faith who welcomed from a distance the things they were promised. They couldn’t see what they hoped for, but they kept believing. Their hope was not a vague thing, such as “I hope my team will win.” Rather it referred to something solid, as we saw last week – something on which to build our lives.

    Paul here speaks again of the suffering we will endure on earth. Yet because we have God’s Spirit living in us, as a deposit, we have this solid hope. Hope for things to come – our redemption, and the redemption of the world. Hope that helps us to endure and wait patiently for God to come good on his promises.

    Living in the light of the hope of heaven can infuse our lives with joy in the midst of trials. For as Jesus said to his disciples, “In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world” (John 16:33). And though we suffer, even the finality of death is tempered by the forthcoming grand reunion at the wedding supper of the Lamb (Revelation 19:9).

    Prayer: Lord Jesus Christ, make me into a person of hope, who believes that you will do what you promise.

  • Weekly Devotional: Beacons of hope (11 in Hope and Trust in God series)

    Photo: Phil Warren, flickr

    We also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us. Romans 5:1–5

    This passage from Paul’s letter to the Romans reminds me of the old hymn, “My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus’ blood and righteousness.” For it is through the death of Jesus on the cross that we base our hope of redemption, grace, and life everlasting. As Paul says, through Jesus we gain access to the grace on which we stand.

    But after affirming the tenets of our faith, Paul turns suddenly to the subject of suffering. It can seem jarring, but Paul knows that we live in a world that is not as God made it to be. Thus he tells the Romans that even as they hope and look to the coming kingdom of God, they must expect suffering. And that through their suffering they will gain the Christ-like attributes of perseverance, character, and hope. As the Holy Spirit fills their hearts, they will have the strength to make it through their suffering, whether it be persecution, pain, mistreatment, or other.

    Suffering is not something we welcome, and perseverance is a trait we’d rather God simply gave us as a gift, instead of something we develop over time. But our character is formed day in and day out: through the sometimes hard conversations with family members; through how we treat the person at work we find particularly grating; through learning to give of ourselves selflessly, even when it’s not convenient; through holding back on flinging hurtful words to those near us. With the Holy Spirit living in us and empowering us, we can increasingly bring glory to God and peace to those whom we meet. As we do so, we will become beacons of hope – perhaps while not realizing just how much God’s light is shining through us.

    Prayer: Lord, help us as we suffer that we might persevere. Fill us with your Spirit that we might rest in hope.

  • Weekly Devotional: Holding onto God (10 in Hope and Trust in God series)

    Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed and so became the father of many nations, just as it had been said to him, “So shall your offspring be.” Romans 4:18–25

    Abraham and Sarah are two of my favorite characters in the Bible, partly because of what they experienced and felt. For instance, they faced the heartbreak of infertility for years before God promised Abraham that he’d be the father of many nations. Abraham’s biggest point of need – his desire for a son – was right where God met him. And not only met, but exceeded with mind-blowing abundance, for he promised that Abraham would have more descendants than the stars in the sky.

    Abraham held on to God’s promise, even when it seemed impossible. In terms of him and Sarah conceiving a son, he believed God even though Sarah was long past her childbearing years. And God delivered; they had Isaac. Then Abraham held on to God’s promises through the heart-wrenching experience of being asked to sacrifice his beloved only son. Abraham knew that God would find a way to keep his promise, perhaps through the resurrection of the dead. For God had never failed him. And indeed, an angel of the Lord provided a ram in the place of Isaac.

    Such hope and faith is modeled through a life of listening to and obeying God. As we mature in our faith, we learn to relinquish the requests that may not be of God or may not be for our best. We can ask God to change our hearts to align our desires with his. And our faith will grow as we look back and see how God has answered our prayers. I love reading through my old prayer journals, not only because they immediately and vividly transport me to times past, but because they reveal how faithful and loving is our God.

    How might you be persuaded that God has the power to do what he has promised?

    For reflection: “By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going” (Hebrews 11:8).

  • Weekly Devotional: Moving mountains (9 in Hope and Trust in God series)

    Photo: Abdul Rahman, flickr

    Jesus replied, “Truly I tell you, if you have faith and do not doubt … you can say to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and it will be done. If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.” Matthew 21:18–22

    Our passage comes during what was the original Holy Week of Jesus’ death and resurrection, although the disciples didn’t realize it then. (And yes, I’m a little out of sync with the church calendar with Lent starting tomorrow. Think of it as a taster of things to come…) Jesus and his friends were walking from Bethany to Jerusalem when he encounters an unfruitful fig tree. He makes it wither, which amazes the disciples. But the fig tree symbolized Israel, for neither were they reflecting God’s fruit.

    Then Jesus says that we should have faith and believe. That if we hope and trust in God, looking to him for our fruitfulness, he will answer our prayer. Of course, this can get tricky if we believe it literally, in a mindless “The Bible says it; I believe it” sort of way. Then we become as a demanding child, insisting that God should give whatever we ask in prayer.

    Those who care for young children can see this folly acted out. Of course we aren’t going to give kids endless sugar or let a toddler climb a ladder unaided. God might similarly turn down some of our requests. Perhaps our most poignant experiences of learning from and leaning on God have come through unanswered prayer. They certainly have for me.

    But Jesus wants us to have faith and believe. While we become downhearted quickly, thinking that our circumstances or another person will never change. I know I’ve been prone to this stance of unbelief. For instance, a former colleague and I couldn’t reach a meeting of the minds in terms of expectations or delivery, and I wanted to give up. But I knew I had to examine my own attitude, so I asked God to help me see her as he created her. Slowly, and sometimes painfully, I began to change in my outlook. And our working relationship improved.

    What mountains need moving in your life?

    For reflection: “If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing” (1 Corinthians 13:2).