THRILL of HOPE - Day 5

“The thrill of hope, a weary world rejoices…..”

To imagine what it was like for the shepherds to hear the news and then get to be present, manger side, is a little mind blowing.  David had written a Psalm way before this about a Good Shepherd that would lead us to rest, peace, and a place of flourishing.  He would have a rod and a staff that would direct us as we advance from the place of rest.  It’s so cool how Psalms 23 starts off showing us goodness that causes us to be fully satisfied and that satisfaction would have us in a place of rest (no more searching).  The Good Shepherd positions us in a flourishing place that has a continual flow coming toward us. We are able to recognize this more and more as our minds are being restored.  We get to see things correctly.  We get to see Him as good instead of mad and angry and condemning.  He walks us in paths that are the result of being in the right place with Him (sons and daughters).  Because of that it doesn’t matter what we walk through, we are in full assurance His goodness prevails.  We have no fear He will abandon us.  We are His name sake, and He is too good to leave us crushed. Apostle Paul wrote that we are hard pressed on every side but not crushed.  We are abandoned by many but never alone.  We are His.  This is our comfort, our security.  We are settled, as He has caused us to sit down and enjoy all He’s given, even in the middle of all sorts of stuff bombarding us.  Right in the midst of craziness we are overflowing with the thrill of hope and faith is set on fire because goodness and mercy are chasing us down.  So we rise and go.  We are of His house (legacy, dynasty) and we go to lead others into His goodness.  

It was no accident shepherds where in the first seen of the Incarnation.  Goodness personified was greeted by shepherds so our minds could connect the dots that David foretold of sons and daughters enjoying a Good Shepherd that had good will toward us.  We can’t get away from His goodness.  It forever chases us down.  It’s running after us like the shepherds went running to the manger.  They encountered the revelation that He is good and it caused them the rise and go.  Now, because we have this hope, we are very bold.  We are those that are rising as a display of His goodness.