A song for Saturday.

Hope Now

by Addison Road

I am planning on sharing a song each Saturday, and in anticipation for this I typed out many weeks worth of Saturdays from a list of songs that I definitely knew I would like to share. I would normally hope to post a song that has been particularly encouraging, uplifting, or meaningful in a week, but for these earliest posts I just wanted to get rolling... 

But then the Lord is good and has His own plans, doesn't He? 

Since Tuesday, noon o'clock eastern time I have been feeling a little down. I haven't been thrilled about the election / nor was I too thrilled about the inauguration, because I just don't know what will come of our country in the days/weeks/months/years ahead. I understand and appreciate the historically significance of Tuesday day (I was a political science / American history student in college), but my concerns are more political in nature 

So I came here to add something to this post prior to having it post. And then I was encouraged by the song I had planned for this week, long before I was cognizant what events would preface it.  I was reminded that we cannot hope in a living human. We cannot hope in the government, or the political institutions. As Americans we cannot hope in this long-standing tradition of freedom, but we must hope in something greater: the Lord. He is the only one worthy of our hope! I'm reminded of our great hope in God in the verse "And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us " Romans 5:5.

How interesting is it that President Obama's message was about hope and change during his campaign. This pulled on the heart strings of so many people. There were strands's of the same message in his inaugural speech, or what I heard of it, as well. How interesting and timely that we see how in need of hope our nation is. But not hope in Obama, even if he becomes a wonderful President, because he is still only human. He is bound to let people down, even if not intending to. 

We need to recognize where true hope is. We will need to plant seeds of it with our friends and neighbors: those people who were so inspired by (now) President Obama's message. The outcry we heard was one of lost souls and lost people, really searching for true hope. 

I pray the song this week reminds you personally of where your true hope lies or that maybe even one person will be encouraged or reminded or will learn anew of where true hope can be found. 

If everything comes down to love
Then just what am I afraid of
When I call out Your name
Something inside awakes in my soul
How quickly I forget I'm Yours

(PRE-CHORUS)
I'm not my own
I've been carried by You
All my life

(CHORUS)
Everything rides on hope now
Everything rides on faith somehow
When the world has broken me down
Your love sets me free

When my life is like a storm
Rising waters all I want is the shore
You say I'll be ok and
Make it through the rain
You are my shelter from the storm

(PRE-CHORUS)
I'm not my own
I've been carried by You
All my life

(CHORUS)
Everything rides on hope now
Everything rides on faith somehow
When the world has broken me down
Your love sets me free

(CHORUS 2)
Everything rides on hope now
Everything rides on faith somehow
When the world has broken me down
Your love sets me free
You've become my hearts desire
I will sing Your praises higher
Cause Your love sets me free
Your love sets me free
Your love sets me free