Need hope and assurance? We all experience seasons where we especially need that hope and assurance more than ever. Today, my guest author, Fran Caffey Sandin, shares how she has found–and given–hope to others both in her travels and in her life.
In her new devotional, Hope on the Way, Devotions to Go, Fran encourages readers to find hope and assurance even in the detours and various seasons of life.
In one of Fran’s chapters, she talks about her trip to the Canadian Rockies, Mt. Denali in Alaska, the Grand Tetons in Wyoming, and Glacier Park in Montana. Visiting those beautiful places brought “expressions of awe toward our amazing God.” Fran said she felt like falling on her knees and singing, How Great Thou Art!
Affirming Promises of Hope and Assurance
After seeing those magnificent creations of God, she remembered the following verses:
“Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?
Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life?
And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these” (Matthew 6:25-29 ESV).
Hope in Joyous Seasons
Here is an excerpt from that chapter on “Mountains”:
“Like spring follows winter and renews a harsh landscape, our Jehovah Jireh, the LORD Who provides, brings peace to still the turmoil in our hearts and newfound joy with the blessing of each day. Corrie Ten Boom once said, ‘Worry does not empty tomorrow of its sorrow. It empties today of its strength.’ She added, ‘Worry is a cycle of inefficient thoughts whirling around a center of fear.'”
“Every time the sun rises, the seasons change, and the flowers bloom, all of nature seems to be announcing, ‘God is faithful.’ In a world of man-made chaos, God is trustworthy, not only in matters of creation, but in our personal lives as well. Remembering God’s dependability is helpful, especially when circumstances are not going our way.”
“When our lives are rocked by untoward events, we may wonder if God has forgotten us. Yet when we reflect upon the past, we can trace His faithful provision. Just as He adorns the lilies of the field, He will take care of our concerns. So, we need not be anxious. When difficulties arise, we can pray, knowing the Master Gardener is always there, year in and year out.”
Fran’s Testimony about Hope
Here’s what Fran has to say about her life, her devotions of hope, and her travels:
My physician-husband, Jim, and I, a retired R.N., have had the privilege of traveling to twenty-one countries and forty-three of the United States. Many of my devotionals take place in different locations and include our encounters with some interesting folks.
I interviewed a few, like two young ladies during a mission trip to Ukraine. At times we had opportunities to share the gospel message. Often the Lord was teaching me through His Word when a Scripture would come to mind in different settings or after a certain experience.
People are discouraged and in desperate need of HOPE. So, I explain that in the Bible, hope means assurance, favorable and confident expectation. While our current circumstances may cause us to be anxious, we can rest assured in the truth that never changes, God’s Word.
I have been through some deep valleys: two miscarriages, the death of our two sons—Jeffrey at 17 months (bacterial meningitis), Steve, (a physical therapist with cystic fibrosis and kidney failure), and my father’s suicide death. But God has blessed us with a beautiful daughter, Angie, her wonderful husband, and our three fantastic grandchildren, two girls and a boy.
Finding Hope in the Seasons of Life
So, I understand why we need hope every day for whatever we are facing. My book includes 52 stories divided into four sections listed here with a sample of chapter titles:
Hope in Fruitful Seasons: Transformed, Beyond Carnegie Hall, Grace Calling
Hope in Joyous Seasons: Generations, Tough and Tender, Visions of Paradise, Hot Wheel
Hope Through Seasons of Heartache: Whispers of Love, Jesus Took My Burden, Forgiven
Hope in Every Season: Wrong Conclusions, A Divine Encounter, Blunders to Blessings
The last chapter is So What Happens Next? Our son, Steve, wrote this life-changing message in a tract two months before he died in 2012.
Sprinkled throughout the book are a few photographs and separate pages with some favorite HOPE Scriptures. Space is provided for the reader to personalize the devotional.
Fran’s Prayer for You
I am praying that when you read Hope on the Way: Devotions to Go you will be strengthened in faith and drawn closer to our Savior and Lord.
Joyfully in Christ,
Fran Sandin
Fran Caffey Sandin is a graduate of Texas Woman’s University College of Nursing. She has authored See You Later, Jeffrey, Touching the Clouds: True Stories to Strengthen Your Faith, and HOPE on the Way: Devotions to Go. She co-authored Courage for the Chicken-Hearted, and Eggstra Courage, and contributed to twenty other books.
Fran has served as co-director of Women’s Ministries and more recently as a Core Group Leader for Community Bible Study. She enjoys flower arranging, walking, hiking, reading, traveling, and spending time with family and friends. Fran and her husband, Jim, are at home in Greenville, Texas.
You can order Fran’s book here: It’s also available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Walmart books.
For other articles, interviews, and free downloads, visit her website.
*You might also this post I wrote: Hope: Bible Promises for Today to Give You Comfort.
It’s Your Turn
Do you need hope and assurance? Where do you find hope? How has God given you hope and assurance in your life? You can always write me through my contact page and fill out the basic name and address info; then the email will come to me. Your name or info will never be shared with anyone without your permission.
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