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.
Would you like
to read articles to “encourage, inspire and motivate you in your Christian walk” every month? Subscribe to the Nebraska Family
Times and you’ll find local, Nebraska
and national
news from a Christian point of view, as well as devotions, columns by
Nebraska and
nationally-known Christian authors, and much more, in your mailbox every month!
A one-year,
12-issue subscription is only $20! See the
