The Lord delights in those who fear Him,

 who put their hope in His unfailing love.  Ps. 147:11

Darkness covers the earth. Threats from both near and far come with the fear of Ebola or ISIS. Don't turn on the 6 o'clock news unless you want to deplete your adrenaline. Dark times are all around. At times, the bad news doesn't come to you through your television but from a loved one on the other end of the phone. It's those times you wish you could just reach out and turn the dreadful thing off...but you can't. The report is not coming to you from a well groomed reporter but from one who holds your heartstrings. There are words coming at you but all you can hear is a roar like Niagara Falls. A roar that is deafening. A sound that threatens to turn your world upside down. You struggle to listen as images of fear overwhelm your senses. It's all crashing in on you and you struggle to breathe as you wrestle with the idea of how to grab hold of everything dear to you and squeeze it tightly to your chest.

It's been that kind of month, for both my family and friends. By choice I never turn on the 6 o'clock news, I choose rather, to turn to the Good News. That way when the bad news comes my way I find a steady foundation under my feet rather than one of sinking sand. It doesn't mean I might not lose my footing for a moment. It just means the Rock upon which I stand is big enough to keep me from falling. I will stumble, but He will catch me if I begin to fall.

Only nights before the phone calls began I had a dream. It was a God dream. It's not something I can describe to you. It's only something I know. In the dream there were numerous people standing around giving negative reports about a man who stood in the midst of the people. I'm not sure what situation the man found himself in, all I know is everyone was talking about how bad it was. About that time I heard the Lords voice speaking to me. All He said was, "Bring me some hope. I need something to work with."  I awoke to the knowing that something was coming where He was leading me to bring Him hope in the situation. Only days later the phone calls began.

I can't tell you how encouraging the dream has been for me and for those whom I love. To know that the One who holds our world, even when it seems to be falling apart, loves us enough to speak to us in the quietness of a sleepy night, giving us weapons for an upcoming battle. He is the lover of my soul. He is not a bible figure. He is not simply a man of history. He is not "the man upstairs" and  He is not the trophy of religion. He is my closest friend. He is the breath in my lungs. He is the song that sings over me again and again. And though we walk through the valley of the shadow of death, we will fear no evil, for He is with us. We are walking through the dark valley. We are not setting up camp there. We are bringing with us all of the hope we can carry. In the midst of our tears and hearts that feel strained we bring hope to the One who has given it to us. We do not put our hope in our circumstances or even in our desires. We put our hope in Him. We trust in His unfailing love. Our prize is not in a painless life, nor a path of ease, but in Him. In Him, we can never be disappointed.

This HOPE we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, and which enters the Presence behind the veil... (Heb. 6:19)