The story of Bartimaeus does not mention hope, but it is still one of the best illustrations of hope fulfilled. We do not know if this beggar had been blind from birth, or if his blindness was caused by something else, but we do know he wanted to be healed.

If Christ reigns in our hearts, everything will be OK, whatever difficulties we have to go through along the road. Often we go through those difficulties in order to be a witness to others. In the very next chapter, Peter tells his readers to expect difficulties, calling them fiery ordeals.

Herod had misunderstood Jesus, and the reason He came to earth. Sadly there are still people today who do not fully understand the reason Jesus came and all He did while visiting earth. Jesus never performed signs to entertain the crowds. That was not His reason for being alive here.

During the recent lockdowns because of Covid, many churches across the world had to close. Many continued via Zoom. Yes, there are several good stories, but many sad ones too. The point is that there are still evil forces working against Christianity and we need to be aware of them.

I believe that in these verses, the writer is telling us that those who have a relationship with God are alive. They have a living hope of better things to come, those who do not have that relationship are as good as dead, because they have nothing to live for.

Many of us pray for change in our world, and The Lord hears our prayers. He often inspires our prayers, and will answer in His time. We must stay confident that He is working behind the scenes, and will fulfill His purposes in His time. In that there is hope.

Feel the inner turmoil of David as he argues with himself and acknowledges the presence of the Lord. He expresses his mixed emotions, before making the final decision that all is not over, and God will come through for him. Dare to share your own emotions with your Heavenly Father.

As we look at our world today this verse seems quite an appropriate one to be praying, and claiming from the Lord. Our world seems to be run by rich leaders whose lives have very little to do with the everyday working lives of ordinary people like you and me.

Hebrews is full of good suggestions for the people who follow the Lord. The author wants his readers to get it fixed in their minds that because Jesus succeeded in His earthly mission and is now seated in Heaven, we are able to live holy lives totally committed to Him.

Job had three friends who were constantly present during his sufferings. They gave what they considered to be good advice, and much of it as we read it, seems to be good. Basically Job was confident that he had followed the laws of God to the best of his ability.