Dec.10.01: Light For The Day - "A Candle Of Hope" -- Jeremiah 29:11-13 (NIV) 11 For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, " plans to prosper you and not to harm you,  plans to give you hope and a future. 12 Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me,  and I will listen to you. 13 You will seek me and find me when you seek me  with all your heart. -------------------- Hope is one of God's great works. It comes as a gift.  It is not something that we earn. It comes through the  actions of others, but it also comes more mysteriously,  as a whisper in the night, a dawning clarity of direction,  or a sudden burst of confidence. God is looking out for  the welfare of all creation, and hope is given to people  in all times and places, in all situations and circumstances.  Though we may wonder how long it will take for the  "future with hope" to come about, we are not to doubt the  outcome. "I know the plans I have for you. ... a future with  hope." (Jer 29:11) As a friends once told me,  "God may not come when you want,  but God always comes on time." The promise of Jeremiah finds a resting place deep  inside us, reminding us that God is still at work in and  through us and the people around us. God is working for  good in our lives; He is especially at work in the midst of  anyone who is struggling to find food, shelter, and basic  human rights. Patience and persistence are often  companions of hope. God takes a long view of history,  and He faithfully works to bring in the new reign of peace  and freedom. We are never alone in our hope for a new day. We hope not just in ourselves or our own resources, though  such confidence in our God-given gifts is an important factor,  but we hope in God. He is a God who sends rainbows after  rain, joy out of sorrow, and turns Good Friday deaths into  Easter resurrections. God promises a future with hope,  and God is with us now with plans, patience, and persistence.  He is working to bring in a glorious future for all the people of  the earth. -- W.L.R. ------ Optimism and hope are radically different attitudes.  Optimism is the expectation that things -- the weather,  human relationships, the economy, the political situation,  and so on -- will get better. Hope is the trust that God will  fulfill God's promises to us in a way that leads us to true  freedom. The optimist speaks about concrete changes in  the future. The person of hope lives in the moment with  the knowledge. The person of hope lives in the moment  with the knowledge and trust that all of life is in good hands, -- Henri Nouwen ------ -- Psalms 33:18 (NIV) "But the eyes of the LORD are on those who fear him,  on those whose hope is in his unfailing love." -- Psalms 130:5 (NIV) "I wait for the LORD, my soul waits,  and in his word I put my hope."