Hope in My Heart - a podcast by IIC Sound

The Lord gave me this song on the 8th of April 2004, which is the anniversary of my Baptism! On that day I was unwell with a cold, so I was resting at home. Usually when I get a cold, it’s our Lord’s way of telling me to slow down and rest in Him. At the time I was worrying about a lot of things, like work, relationships etc.
I had watched ‘The Passion of Christ’ the day before and whilst reflecting on it, I thought about the pain that Jesus went through in His Passion and on the Cross, and I realised my pain was nothing compared to the pain that He had experienced. Pain that was not only physical but also emotional, and included the anguish of one of His friend’s betraying Him and another friend denying Him three times. Jesus’ mother Mary was present at His Passion and it must have hurt His heart too, to see hers breaking while she watched her Son die.
But after Jesus went through all of that suffering which led to His death on Good Friday, He rose from the dead three days later on Easter Sunday. From this God helped me to realise that I was worrying unnecessarily. I may have been hurting at the time, but I had to hope in the Lord. I had to believe that my Easter Sunday would come. I prayed to Him and said,
“Lord, I place all of my trust in You. Please don’t let me lose hope!”
And then I had to thank the Lord for all of His goodness to me. We need to thank the Lord for what He has promised us, even though we may not have received it as yet. We need to trust in Him that He will keep His promises to us, because He is God! Mary trusted in the Lord and she trusted in His promise to her. She said “I am the handmaid of the Lord, let it be done to me as you have said” (Luke 1: 38). And then she rejoiced in the Lord and His promises to her,
“My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord, my spirit exults in God my Saviour! He has looked upon His servant in her lowliness, and people forever will call me blessed. The Mighty One has done great things for me, Holy is His Name! From age to age His mercy extends to those who live in His presence…” (Luke 1: 46-55)
Our Lord revealed to me that He has put me here for a purpose and that I must believe in Him and His working in me, so that I can carry out His will. God also helped me to realise that I need to spend more time getting to know Him. Do we know of God or do we know Him? Ask God to open up your heart to Him so that you may come to know Him more and to love Him more. Pray to Him, meditate on His Word, receive the Sacraments regularly, be still before Him, acknowledge His presence and listen to His voice (John 10:3-5; John 10: 27). God has put you here for a purpose too! And you must believe in Him and His working through you, so that you can carry out His will. Each of us has a part to play in building up the Kingdom of God, for which we should give Him glory.
“I assure you that God is much better than you believe. He is content with a glance, a sigh of love” (St Thérèse).
One look of love to the Lord is enough to restore you and bring you His peace.
“Lord You formed my inmost being; You knit me in my mother’s womb. I praise You, so wonderfully You made me; wonderful are your works! My very self You knew; my bones were not hidden from You, when I was being made in secret, fashioned as in the depths of the earth. Your eyes foresaw my actions; in Your book all are written down; my days were shaped, before one came to be…Probe me, God, know my heart, try me, know my concerns. See if my way is crooked, then lead me in the ancient paths.”(Psalm 139: 13-16; 23-24)
Ask God to show you, your purpose. Our Lord is always waiting for us to turn to Him and to talk to Him. Pray to Him and then listen to Him. He wants a relationship with each of us. Spend time with the Lord, He is waiting for you.

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