I ran across a story of a college professor in the music department who taught piano. A well-known concert pianist was performing one night at the school, and he became ill while performing a pretty complex piece. They ushered him off the stage and as they did so, the college professor got up from the audience and made his way on stage, sat at the piano and finished the music. He did a great job and was invited to an after performance party and there one of the students asked how in the world the professor was able to just get up, unprepared and finish that piece. The professor told the student that he had been a promising young pianist from a European country and in 1939 he was arrested and put in a Nazi concentration camp. There was no hope of escape or being freed anytime soon. He said he was determined to keep the hope alive that he would somehow, sometime get to play the piano again. So, he found a board and he began to “finger” a musical piece with his bare hands on the board. Over time he went to piece after piece the different musical selections he had learned. He did that every night for five years and the piece being played that night was one that he had “played” on that board every night. He said that his practice each night kept his hope alive in the concentration camp. And every night he renewed his hope by being prepared to play again on a real piano in freedom. There are times when we find ourselves suffering in captivity. Sometimes we are captive to loneliness, or rejection, or sense of failure or frustration or injustice. These and so many other trap us in suffering, but God gives us the shocking news that we can and should rejoice in our sufferings. Because God has not abandoned you and he has not given up on the plans he has for you. And if you let him, God will take that suffering and use it to create in you perseverance. And then he will take that perseverance and build your character and from that character comes hope. And he tells us that we can count on him to not let that hope disappoint us. Because he has poured out his love into yours and my hearts through his Holy Spirit. And that love continually keeps us looking for God’s good plan to become reality in our lives. The time will come when God opens the door for you to be center stage and all that you have allowed God to become a part of you will be used to change your hope into a promise fulfilled. Use this time and all it brings to prepare you for God to bring you fulfillment and wipe disappointment and discouragement away from your heart and mind and spirit. Here’s our Bible verse for today…
Romans 5:3-5 BSB Not only that, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; (4) perseverance, character; and character, hope. (5) And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out His love into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, whom He has given us.
Remember I’m praying for you…
PJ
Romans 5:3-5 BSB Not only that, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; (4) perseverance, character; and character, hope. (5) And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out His love into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, whom He has given us.
Remember I’m praying for you…
PJ