Take courage and be strong 2

“Put your hope in the Lord.  Take courage and be strong.”  (Psalm 27: 14)

I have always put my hope in the Lord.  What I need is to take courage and be strong.  Waiting for the Lord to answer what we consider a very urgent need can be a trying experience.  It is very easy to lose perspective and not see the big picture.  We allow our situation to become the center of gravity.

"From Mount Hor they set out by way of the Red Sea, to bypass the land of Edom, but the people’s patience was worn out by the journey; so the people complained against God and Moses, “Why have you brought us up from Egypt to die in the wilderness, where there is no food or water? We are disgusted with this wretched food!” (Numbers 21: 4-5)

The Israelites on a long journey from Egypt to the Promised Land had their patience worn out by the hardship of the journey and unmet expectations and needs.  Instead of being steady in their hope in the Lord, they developed a negative attitude and complained.  This made matters worse.

How do we maintain our hope?  How do we take courage and be strong while waiting for God to answer our prayer?

These seven areas of struggle in the human condition:  health, family, money, job, tools, food, and future must be met head strong with the 7-Way Plan of: prayer, word of God, Eucharist, Penance, Examination of Conscience, Ministry and Spiritual Reading.  This is one way to put on the full armor of God in spiritual warfare.  By immersing ourselves deeply in seeking God at the lowest period in our lives, we strengthen our hope; we take courage and become strong.

"Consider it all joy, my brothers, when you encounter various trials, for you know that the testing* of your faith produces perseverance. And let perseverance be perfect, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing." (James 1: 2-4)