At one of the bleakest points, when the Convention was about to fall to pieces, Franklin rose and 
chided the whole group for “forgetting God” and then called them to 
begin every morning in prayer, asking “for the assistance of Heaven 
and His blessings upon our deliberations”. The convention turned from 
disaster to successful completion at that moment. Franklin commented 
at the end “…now I know that it is a rising sun.”


There are many who think it is now setting.
 Maybe it is time to begin to pray again. Not just talk about it. Not
 just play at it. Not just make it another line on our spiritual
 checklist.

Pray as if we really believe that we need God’s assistance and 
blessings on our “deliberations”.

I have often thought that each of us has our own internal dictionary. 
It doesn't matter what the formal dictionary says, we create our own 
definitions. Most of those come from being caught up in our own little
 story rather than in the larger story of God.

The definition of hope, found in the little story, is “hope” that my
 script will get played out and therefore I will be happy and content
and filled with joy and pleasurable feelings.
 That is a “hope” that is destined to be constantly dashed against the 
rocky shore of reality. 
(Not to mention the constant beating that it takes from a million 
others' small stories that are fighting for their own script and "hope"
and end up stepping on yours.)
But the definition of “Hope”, as it is found in the larger story,
 never fails, never disappoints, never leaves one “hopeless”… or 
discouraged… or despondent… or apathetically “checked out”.


Here is one of my all-time favorite verses:
 “And let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we shall
 reap if we do not grow weary.” Galatians 6:9


May that characterize the people of God, increasingly so, in the days ahead.