Norfords' Ramblings

Thursday January 22, 2009

Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. Hebrews 10:23.

I woke this morning and 2.00 am. And couldn’t sleep after that. Slowly developed a headache around the eyes and on rising took some Tylenol. I guess mind was working though all the events planned for the next two weeks or so—both our girls’ visit and the guest house—starting this evening as new guests arrive. In the meantime, today we are taking an elderly lady to the hospital for day surgery in Shoreham, about twenty minutes drive, and going on to Brighton to spend some time with my sister.

We fear all sorts of things, and in our case, a concern that the great occasion planned with our family together here in England might go wrong somewhere. And then there are the back burner ideas about impending surgery for me, but also health and strength for us both generally. I have a fear of either of us falling—you may recall we both fell down the stairs the last time we were in England. I have become paranoid about things we might trip over, and my driving, particularly on the other side of the road, has become more cautious.

All this occasionally comes together to raise mostly unjustified fears for the future—the immediate and the long term. In his swearing in earlier this week, Barack Obama called on his countrymen to replace fear with hope. Hope is an important part of life, and the hopes we have as Christians cannot easily be buried by our daily fears. Our text today reminds us that it is the faithfulness of God which assures us hope for the future—whatever it may bring.