This is part of a sermon given by Joe Stowell at the Moody Bible Institute

“I’m only fifty-seven, and I already find myself weary of the hollow thoughts of what few accomplishments I may have mustered in my life.  My failures continue to embarrass me.  The inadequacies I have carried with me since my youth still frustrate me.  My insecurities still trouble my soul.  And the praise of others has an increasingly hollow ring. I’m tired of worrying about what people think about me.  I’m weary of the carnal feeling that sometimes haunts me when someone talks about his favorite preacher and it’s not me.  Bottom line, I just get flat-out tired of me.  BUT I NEVER GET TIRED OF JESUS.  After all these years, I still find Him more compelling, more engaging, more awesome, more surprising, more fulfilling, and more attractive than ever before.  I never get tired of singing His praises or of watching Him perform.  I find Him to be gripping.  Absorbing.  Beyond comprehension.  And that’s why – along with Paul, my grandmother, Billy Graham and countless others through the years – I find myself longing to know Him better.”

Be of good courage, and he shall strengthen your heart, all ye that hope in the Lord.
Psalm 31:24 KJV 

Those who hope in the Lord will inherit the land.
Psalm 37:9 NIV 

Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
Hebrews 11:1 KJV 

I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help. My help cometh from the Lord, which made heaven and earth.
Psalm 121:1-2 KJV 

For we are saved by hope….
Romans 8:24 KJV 

Happy is he…whose hope is in the Lord his God.
Psalm 146:5 KJV 

Hope deferred maketh the heart sick….
Proverbs 13:12 KJV 

Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honor preferring one another; not slothful in business; fervent in spirit; serving the Lord; rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation; continuing instant in prayer….
Romans 12:10-12 KJV 

Be of good courage, and he shall strengthen your heart, all ye that hope in the Lord.
Psalm 31:24 KJV 

Trust the Lord your God with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.
Proverbs 3:5-6 NIV 

He replied, “You of little faith, why are you so afraid?” Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the waves, and it was completely calm.
Matthew 8:26 NIV 

…Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief.
Mark 9:24 KJV 

But as for me, I will always have hope; I will praise you more and more.
Psalm 71:14 NIV 

For we are saved by hope….
Romans 8:24 KJV 

I can do everything through him that gives me strength.
Philippians 4:13 NIV

“Lord, You know my inadequacies. You know my weaknesses, not only in parenting, but in every area of my life. I’m doing the best I can to raise my kids properly, but it may not be good enough. As You provided the fish and the loaves to feed the five thousand hungry people, now take my meager effort and use it to bless my family. Make up for the things I do wrong. Satisfy the needs that I have not met. Compensate for my blunders and mistakes. Wrap Your great arms around my children, and draw them close to You. And be there when they stand at the great crossroads between right and wrong. All I can give them is my best, and I will continue to do that. I submit them to You now and rededicate myself to the task You have placed before me. The outcome rests securely in Your hands.”

Author Unknown

God of life, there are days when the burdens we carry chafe our shoulders and wear us down; when the road seems dreary and endless, the skies gray and threatening; when our lives have no music in them and our hearts are lonely, and our souls have lost their courage. Flood the path with light, we beseech you; turn our eyes to where the skies are full of promise.

(From Prayers of the Saints: An Inspired Collection of Holy Wisdom, ed. Woodeene Koenig-Bricker – San Francisco: Harper Collins, 1996)