You yourselves are our letter, written on our hearts, known and read by everyone. You show that you are a letter from Christ, the result of our ministry, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts. 2Corinthians 3:2-3
This month’s focus—Living Hope—explores the equipping, energizing, and enduring hope we have in Christ.
“Our hope is not based on the things of this world, but on the truth that Christ rose from the dead, and because He lives, we too will live forever with Him.”
Anne Graham Lotz. (2007). Wounded by God’s people: Discovering how God’s love heals our hearts. Thomas Nelson.
Be strong and take heart, all you who hope in the Lord. Psalm 31:24 NIV
March in Texas turns the hope of springtime into reality. Temperatures rise, grass grows greener, and live oaks shed old leaves as new buds emerge. Since rainfall is always a challenge in Central Texas we had our sprinkler system adjusted for maximum efficiency. We mainly use it to ensure our live oaks stay healthy during droughts, when stress makes them susceptible to disease.
Our sprinkler guy did a fine job, but we needed to tweak the sprinkler heads to water the right areas and not waste water on places like the driveway or sidewalk. I spent more time than I desired, twisting nozzles for coverage and adjusting the little screw for distance. For all my efforts, they’d work fine for a few cycles, then revert back to their original settings—and I ended up soaked. Frustrated, I took a break, unsure of my next step—except to call the sprinkler guy for help.
Isn’t that how we are in our spiritual journey? Our Heavenly Father uses Scripture, spiritual mentors, pastors and teachers, family or friends, and even consequences to make adjustments in our lives. For a little while, we walk in His ways, doing what He desires. But before long, we slip back into our old ways. Like water wasted on the driveway or sidewalk, our time and efforts drain away fruitlessly. Things don’t turn out the way we hoped, and we wonder why.
As we anticipate the beauty spring brings, let’s embrace the adjustments our Heavenly Father makes in our lives. Let’s allow the Master Gardner to realign us so He can nurture the growth He desires and produce the fruit He intends. Then we can stand strong and take heart, knowing things will turn out right—because we hope in Him.
Spiritual application
What time and efforts in your life feels like water draining away without anything to show?
How has our Heavenly Father recently made adjustments in your heart, mind, and spirit?
Where have things turned out right, growth happened, or fruit produced, because you walked in the ways of your Heavenly Father?
Prayer
Heavenly Father, You are my Living Hope. Through the truth of Christ’s resurrection, because He lives, I can be strong and encouraged. Reveal to me the areas in my life that deplete rather than replenish, that waste rather than restore, and that hinder rather than revive. Transform these areas into what you desire, your perfect plan.
Journal prompt
Consider what it means to live with the hope of Christ. Reflect on the moments when you feel the tension between the brokenness of this world and the promise of new life in Him. In the space provided, write down areas where this living hope impacts your daily choices, how you can hold onto it in difficult times, then pray over them throughout the month.
Activity
Collect Scriptures, quotes, and images that reflect the living hope we have in Christ and—using posterboard—create a visual reminder: a Living Hope board. Use it to daily encourage your heart and to focus on the eternal promises of God, especially during challenging circumstances.
Some Scripture promises to consider:
Numbers 23:19
Psalm 32:8
Isaiah 40:31
John 14:27
1 John 4:9-10
Scriptures
Week 1
Thank you, our Heavenly Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, because in Your great mercy You gave _____ new life by raising Jesus Christ from death. This fills her with a living hope, and she looks forward to possessing the rich blessings that You keep for her in heaven, where they cannot decay or spoil or fade away.
From 1 Peter 1:3-4 NLT
Week 2
Heavenly Father, show _____ Your ways teach her your paths. Guide her in your truth and teach her, for you are her Savior, and her hope is in You all day long.
From Psalm 25:4-5 NIV
Week 3
Heavenly Father, You know the plans You have for _____. They are plans for good and not for evil, to give her a future and a hope. When she prays, You will listen.
From Jeremiah 29:10-11 TLB
Week 4
This is what it means for _____ to trust You, Heavenly Father. She will be sure about the things that she hopes for. She will be sure in her mind about things that she cannot even see.
From Hebrews 11:1 EASY
Week 5
Others may say You will not help _____, but You Heavenly Father are her shield, her glory, and her only hope. You alone can lift her head when hung in shame. When she cries out, You hear her from Your Holy Place.
I learned how to pray for others using Scripture years ago, through Stormie O’Martian’s books The Power of a Praying (Wife-Parent-Woman), along with Moms In Prayer International. It has been an amazing way to pray. I love sharing what I’ve learned, and Scripture-based prayer is no exception. Over the years, I’ve often created Prayer Pages for various ministry events and have received a lot of encouraging feedback. Women find these pages to be effective, practical tools for praying over the lives of those they love and the ministries they hope to impact—both immediately and eternally.
I also frequently text others the Scriptures I’m praying over them. I find it helpful for me to focus on a specific theme for each month or season. As you can imagine, I’ve collected quite a few Scripture prayers along the way.
This year, I’m turning those Scripture prayers into a short devotional series that covers all 12 months, along with special sections for events observed on the Christian church calendar, such as Lent, Pentecost, and Advent. Each devotional will include five Scripture prayers for the month/season, plus four key elements:
Hook: the month’s focus,
Book: a Bible verse and a quote,
Look: an illustration or reflection,
Took: a takeaway that includes a spiritual application, a prayer, a journal prompt, and an activity.
I plan to release each devotional on my website during its corresponding month or season, so be sure to stop by and check them out. I would greatly appreciate any constructive feedback—you can do so in comments section of the blog, and I’ll gladly consider them as I continue editing and refining the content. Because, ultimately, I plan to publish the blog series into a devotional book an make it available on Amazon.
Praise his glorious name forever! Let the whole earth be filled with his glory. Amen and Amen. Psalm 72:19
Pause. Praise. Pray.
While this is the last of the Praise devotionals, it can be the first of many more moments of pausing to consider, notice, and praise our Heavenly Father for who he is and his amazing creation that we enjoy every day. From the rising of the sun to it’s going down, from dusk until dawn, let us give praise.
Three times Isaiah calls our Heavenly Father the First and the Last. He is the one who does mighty deeds and summons each new generation from the beginning of time (Isaiah 41:4). He is our King and Redeemer, the Lord of Heaven’s Armies (Isaiah 44:6), and we, as adopted children into his family, should listen to him (Isaiah 48:12). Our Father, the Forever Occupier, gives us Jesus, the First and Last to reign over his people forever and whose Kingdom will never end (Luke 1:33). He is the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End (Revelation 22:13).
Pause and take time to watch the sun move across the sky. Consider the ways in which we mark the minutes, hours, and days; the seasons, epochs, eras, and eons. Notice the moments you’ve been given and how you might live them best. What might our Father be speaking to you in this moment?
Praise our Heavenly Father for the time he has given us. Praise him for his Son, Jesus, who was there in the beginning and will ever and always be.
Pray.
Heavenly Father, You are the Forever Occupier. May my days ever and always be spent in praise and wonder of you. Amen.
Praise him, sun and moon! Praise him, all you twinkling stars! Psalm 148:3
Like starry splendor bright and vast, Your glory glitters to the last.
Growing up in the country I delighted in the splendor of the stars scattered across the night sky. I routinely sought out the Big and Little Dippers, Orion, and the Seven Sisters. And under a Texas night sky, in the light of these familiar companions, my love asked me to marry him.
Job describes our Heavenly Father as the One who marvelously spread out the heavens and made all the stars—the Bear and Orion, the Pleiades and the constellations of the southern sky. (Job 9:8-10). But our Father cautioned his people that when they see the sun, moon, and stars—all the forces of heaven—to not worship them because he created them for all the peoples of the earth (Deuteronomy 4:19). He promised that one day a star would rise; a king’s scepter coming from his people (Numbers 24:17). And so our Father, the Star Twinkler, gives us Jesus, our Morning Star, the one who shines in our hearts (2 Peter 1:18-19).
Pause and take time to survey the expanse of the night sky. Consider the constellations, the varied brightness of each star, and how each sparkles against their velvet backdrop. Notice the hazy band of light stretching across the heavens that makes up the Milky Way. What might our Father be speaking to you in this moment?
Praise our Heavenly Father for creating the stars that mark the seasons. Praise him for his Son, Jesus, the Morning Star, rising as our Father promised.
Pray.
Heavenly Father, You are the Star Twinkler. When I see your starry grandeur, let me break forth in praise. Amen.
Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord from the heavens! Praise him from the skies! Psalm 148:1
Every heart turned asunder, At a glimpse of your wonders.
I lived my whole life and never saw an eclipse. But now—in the past seven years—I’ve seen two. We drove a thousand miles to see two minutes of the first and less than a hundred miles to see four minutes of the second. To know about an eclipse is interesting, to experience one is altogether beyond words.
When our Heavenly Father made the two great lights—the greater to rule the day and the lesser to rule the night (Genesis 1:6)—he distanced them perfectly for the moon to perfectly eclipse the sun. He causes wonders in the heavens and on the earth, for the sun to become dark, and the moon to turn blood red in front of it (Joel 2:30-32). During a decisive battle, he even caused the sun and moon to stand still until his people defeated its enemies (Joshua 10:13). With strange signs in the sun, moon, and stars, our Father, the Sun Eclipser gives us Jesus, the Son of Man, bringing us our salvation (Luke 21:25-28).
Pause and take time to watch a full moon rise as the sun sets. Consider their movement in the sky. Notice, despite their different distances, how their sizes are similar. What might our Father be speaking to you in this moment?
Praise our Heavenly Father for the details of his creation. Praise him for his Son, Jesus, the Son of Man coming from the heavens with power and great glory .
Pray.
Heavenly Father, You are the Sun Eclipser. Thank you for the moments I am awed by your perfect design. Amen.
"The Lord God gives me the right words to encourage the weary.
Each morning he awakens me eager to learn his teaching;
he made me willing to listen and not rebel or run away."
Isaiah 50:4-5
"We are your symphony, Mr. Holland. We are the melodies and the notes of your opus. We are the music of your life."
— Governor Gertrude Lang (Joanna Gleason) in Mr. Holland's Opus
"It would seem that Our Lord finds our desires not too strong, but too weak. We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased.”
C.S. Lewis
"...to be little with God is to be little for God."
E.M. Bounds
"If you can't feed a hundred people, then feed just one."
Mother Theresa
"He became what we are that He might make us what He is"
Saint Athanasius, 295-373
"It is the Christ in you, who recognizes the Christ in me...From now on, wherever you go, or wherever I go, all the ground between us will be holy ground."
Henri J.M. Nouwen
Why pray?
"…I have no better answer than the example of Jesus, who knew above any of us the wisdom of the Father and yet who felt a strong need to flood the heavens with requests."
Philip Yancey
"The Christian ideal has not been tried and found wanting. It has been found difficult and left untried."
G.K. Chesterton
"The well of your incompleteness runs deep, but make the effort to look away from yourself and to look toward Him."
Oswald Chambers
tablets of human hearts 