Help Wanted: Hope and Wisdom

This time of year I think of my favorite writer’s reflection upon the future: “Hope smiles from the threshold of the year to come, whispering “it will be happier.’”—Alfred, Lord Tennyson

The year 2023 was not an unhappy one for me, but I do look forward to a better year in 2024.  I think we can all admit our world could use some improvement. We can all use a little hope—maybe more than a little.

Septimus Winner penned the following words in his song “Whispering Hope” in 1868:

“Soft as the voice of an angel,
Breathing a lesson unheard,
Hope with a gentle persuasion
Whispers her comforting word.”

 We can find comfort in the knowledge that all will be well if we hang on to that hope and seek wisdom in the process.

Shortly after I started writing this blog, the electricity went out in my subdivision. I decided to resume my writing later when I had light for my eyes and warmth for my hands. Fortunately, my power was restored within a couple of hours.

This power outage required some follow up. I had to capture my robotic vacuum and put it back on its base. I needed to re-set my oven clock and my alarm clock. (Yes, I still use an alarm clock.) My computer printer required a reset, etc.

Thankfully, God gives us continuous resets. When we lose our Power connection, we need to take a moment to reset our priorities.

A new year gives us the opportunity to do just that.

Smart watches track our steps, our calories, our BP, our comings and goings. Those are important aspects of our physical lives, but do we keep track of our spiritual steps—our connections to God?

I want to challenge myself this year to log my time with God. I want to read and study His word and hold myself accountable for that daily walk. I encourage you to also set aside time each day to draw closer to God. I am personally looking forward to using my new devotional journal, Just Breathe.

As I was flipping through this book for the first time, it fell open to the page entitled “Biblical Hope Never Disappoints.” YES! “The hope we receive from God never disappoints. It carries us through life and gives us assurance that God has plans and a future for us.”

I anticipate 2024 to be a busy year for me, and I want to approach the coming days with hope and with wisdom. (I whisper an aside, “I hope it’s a busy year for my writing.”)

While recently using the book Discovering Wisdom in Proverbs by Pam Farrell and Jean E. Jones (published by Harvest House Publishers in 2023) in my Sunday school class, I received lots of enlightenment. Proverbs 3:5-6 has long been one of my favorite passages, and I was raised to heed the advice of the wise King Solomon. However, I truly saw the depth of his wisdom when I focused on the fact that God granted Solomon wisdom because he did not ask for wealth, possessions, and honor. Instead, Solomon asked for wisdom and knowledge. As a result, God gave him wisdom AND wealth.  (See 2 Chronicles 1:11-12.)

Speaking of wisdom: Those kings (however many there were) who visited baby Jesus also set a great example. According to The Three Kings: The Journey of the Magi, a beautiful picture book published in 2013 by Geraldine Elschner, these men were “noble and generous, and they were very inquisitive.” Their wisdom led them to find the babe in the manger where they presented Him with gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. Their wisdom also kept the jealous king Herod from finding the whereabouts of the newborn King.

The feast of Epiphany, celebrated on January 6 each year, reminds us to seek the Christ child and honor Him with our own gifts of love and devotion.

“O star of wonder, star of night
Star with royal beauty bright
Westward leading, still proceeding
Guide us to thy perfect light.”—Mario Lanza

As we begin our journey into the new year, may we hold hope in our hearts as we follow the Star. May we all ask for wisdom and knowledge in everything we say and do.

“Know also that wisdom is like honey for you: If you find it, there is a future hope for you, and your hope will not be cut off.”—Proverbs 24:14

“And in despair I bowed my head: ‘There is no peace on earth,’ I said, ‘For hate is strong and mocks the song of peace on earth, good-will to men. Then pealed the bells more loud and deep: ‘God is not dead, nor doth He sleep; The wrong shall fail, the right prevail, with peace on earth, good-will to men.’”—Henry W. Longfellow

“And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.”—Philippians 1:6

“Hold fast to dreams. For if dreams die, life is a broken-winged bird that cannot fly.”—Langston Hughes

Suggestion: This 31-day devotional based on the book of Proverbs would be a great way to begin the year by reading one chapter a day. You will create a habit in fourteen days, and the rest of the month you will be hooked! The Proverbs Devotional Challenge can be found at https://www.amazon.com/Proverbs-Devotional-Challenge-Large-Print/dp/194848143X/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2BZB2HN9PL4AU&keywords=The+Proverbs+Devotional+Challenge&qid=1703791037&sprefix=the+proverbs+devotional+challenge+%2Caps%2C113&sr=8-1

Other devotional suggestions can be found in my January 2022 blog at https://joycemccullough.com/wise-words/

Hebrews 6:19; James 1:5; 1 Kings 4:29; Matthew 7:24; Jeremiah 29:11