Divine Simplicity Focus on the things that matter…sweep aside the things that don't.

Hope is a feeling of expectation and desire for a certain outcome of events. People remain hopeful as long as they continue to believe their desired outcome is possible. Often, this hope fades with time until a person becomes convinced that his or her desired outcome will never happen. Despondency and depression sometimes follow.

Those who find themselves unemployed might initially have a great deal of hope of finding a new job. Much of this hope stems from confidence in their personal skills, qualifications, education and performance in past jobs. This confidence often fades with time. Long, disappointing job searches can ultimately lead to depression if not handled correctly.

It’s good to be confident in one’s self, but we human are all flawed. Our true hope doesn’t lie in our ability to solve our own problems. Hebrews 11:1 tells us, “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” When we put our hope in the Lord, that hope turns into faith. He is the only genuine source of hope for the world. As you move through your Lenten journey, remember that true hope means presenting your desires and needs to God on the altar of prayer, listening and leaving the details to Him.

Listen to what Saint Paul says, “Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance, character; and character, hope. Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.” (Romans 5:1-5 , NKNJ).

Placing our hope in God leads to faith, which ultimately results in peace with God, even in times of great tribulation. Hope in God, place your faith in Him, and let him be your main source of comfort and peace as you search for your next job.

Psalm 146 – the happiness of those who hope in the Lord:
Praise the LORD, O my soul!
2 While I live I will praise the LORD;
I will sing praises to my God while I have my being.
3 Do not put your trust in princes,
Nor in a son of man, in whom there is no help.
4 His spirit departs, he returns to his earth;
In that very day his plans perish.
5 Happy is he who has the God of Jacob for his help,
Whose hope is in the LORD his God,
6 Who made heaven and earth,
The sea, and all that is in them;
Who keeps truth forever,
7 Who executes justice for the oppressed,
Who gives food to the hungry.
The LORD gives freedom to the prisoners.
8 The LORD opens the eyes of the blind;
The LORD raises those who are bowed down;
The LORD loves the righteous.
9 The LORD watches over the strangers;
He relieves the fatherless and widow;
But the way of the wicked He turns upside down.
10 The LORD shall reign forever—
Your God, O Zion, to all generations. (NKJV)
Today’s Lenten Prayer: A penitential prayer of St. Augustine

O Lord,
The house of my soul is narrow;
enlarge it that you may enter in.
It is ruinous, O repair it!
It displeases Your sight.
I confess it, I know.
But who shall cleanse it,
to whom shall I cry but to you?
Cleanse me from my secret faults, O Lord,
and spare Your servant from strange sins.

Today’s Reading:  Jeremiah 17:5-8  Trust in the Lord
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Jeremiah%2017:5-8&version=NKJV