Tuesday, April 9, 2013


H is for…Hope
by Shelly Burke, Editor and Publisher 

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope. Romans 15:13

What are you hoping for today?

Enough rain to break the drought? A new job? A way out of financial troubles? A relationship repaired? A new home? A new baby? A disease cured?

Paul’s letter to the Romans tells them (and us) to “Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.” (Romans 12:12) How can we rejoice, when our hope is that a hopeless situation won’t turn out in the way it seems destined to? How can we be patient when our world seems to be falling apart around us? For me, being “constant in prayer” is easy when I’m struggling. Thankfully God doesn’t require fancy phrases or the “right” words—I can just plead, “Lord, help me endure this! Show me what to do! Be with me!”

We can rejoice in hope because of what Psalm 39:7 says: “And now, O Lord, for what do I wait? My hope is in You.” Our hope is not in earthly things like money, or banks, or a new job, or a relationship, or even an earthly cure for a terminal illness. Our hope is in the Lord, and in the gift that He has given believers, of eternal life. We can rejoice in hope because we know that even if our hope is not realized here on earth, it will be in heaven.

Many times our hopes will be fulfilled here on earth. God answers our prayers, often in ways we do not expect, in ways that seem to be impossible. We thank Him for those times.

While we are in that time of waiting to see how our prayers will be answered, we can pray that God will fill us with joy and peace in believing in Him, and that through the Holy Spirit we will continue to have hope.

Lord, you know what I am hoping for today. I do not know what Your will is regarding this situation, although I pray that you will answer my prayers. While I wait, please enable me to rejoice, to be patient, and to fill me with joy and peace. Amen.

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