Renewed Hope for a New Year

It's been a long while since I've updated, but I had a bit of a moment in the car after work today, and I wanted to share.

New Year's is my second favorite holiday - second only to Christmas. There's something magical about going into a new year - fresh starts, clean slates, big dreams, etc. I love the hopeful feeling that comes with knowing you can make of the year whatever you wish.

However, New Year's can also be a time where it's hard to see the hope. It can be a time when you're reminded that another year has passed and you're still waiting. Waiting for pain to go away, waiting for healing to come, waiting for a blessing, waiting for some guidance, or just waiting. This year I myself had one of those times, but today I was reminded in a big way that I have a hope that truly endures no matter what.

Driving home from work today, I heard Natalie Grant's "Our Hope Endures" on the radio, and it completely overwhelmed me. I'm not a crier, and there were tears. I'll let it speak for itself, but remember that you too can have a relationship with the God of the universe, and He will never ever leave you even if you have to wait out the storm. He'll always be there with you, and He has a perfect plan and perfect timing.

"Our Hope Endures"

You would think only so much can go wrong
Calamity only strikes once
And you assume this one has suffered her share
Life will be kinder from here
Oh, but sometimes the sun stays hidden for years
Sometimes the sky rains night after night
When will it clear?

But our Hope endures the worst of conditions
It's more than our optimism
Let the earth quake
Our Hope is unchanged

How do we comprehend peace within pain?
Or joy at a good man's wake?
Walk a mile with the woman whose body is torn
With illness but she marches on
Oh, 'cause sometimes the sun stays hidden for years
Sometimes the sky rains night after night
When will it clear?

But our Hope endures the worst of conditions
It's more than our optimism
Let the earth quake
Our Hope is unchanged

Emmanuel, God is with us
El Shaddai, all sufficient
We never walk alone
And this is our hope

But our Hope endures the worst of conditions
It's more than our optimism
Let the earth quake
Our Hope is unchanged