"Hope doesn’t promise an instant solution but rather the possibility of an eventual one."

A thought by Max Lucado from his book, Begin Again (pp. xii-xiii). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition. (Click on the book title to go to Amazon to buy the book.)

And maybe that is what you need?

Max says, "Sometimes all we need is a little hope.

"That’s all Noah needed. And that’s what Noah received."

He goes on, "The old sailor stares at the sun bisected by the horizon. One could hardly imagine a more beautiful sight. But he’d give this one and a hundred more for an acre of dry ground and a grove of grapes. Mrs. Noah’s voice reminds him that dinner is on the table and he should lock the hatch, and he’s just about to call it a day when he hears the cooing of the dove. This is how the Bible describes the moment: 'When the dove returned to him in the evening, there in its beak was a freshly plucked olive leaf!' (Gen. 8:11).

"An olive leaf. Noah would have been happy to have the bird—but to have the leaf! This leaf was more than foliage; this was promise. The bird brought more than a piece of a tree; it brought hope. For isn’t that what hope is? Hope is an olive leaf—evidence of dry land after a flood. Proof to the dreamer that dreaming is worth the risk."

Max continues, "Are you in need of some hope? Could you use a fresh start? A redo? A mulligan? At some point in life we all could. The oh-so-welcome news of Scripture is this: God is a God of fresh starts. He is the author of the new chapter, the architect of the new design, the voice behind the new song.

"God knows the way forward. No matter what kind of disappointment or grief or trouble or heartache you’ve encountered, God offers an opportunity to begin again. In his plan prodigals get a new robe, the weary find new strength, and the lonely find a friend."

Isaiah 40:31 (NKJV) says, "Those who wait on the LORD Shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary, They shall walk and not faint."

Max then says, "Your current circumstances will not get the final say in your life."

And that is hope. And that is such good news isn't it?

Yes, yes!

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