Immersed

“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)

            Hope surges through Scripture in the way sparkling river water conveys life to parched places. Streaming through the Word in a recurring theme, hope brims over the riverbanks and is sourced in the “God of hope” who understands our deepest needs

            Mindful that hope easily evaporates and that we need a continual refilling, God reminds us, “For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope” (Romans 15:4).

God intends all of Scripture, even the obscure portions, to provide us with hope. To wade into the Word is to be immersed in hope, to be equipped to look ahead with confident expectation.

            When we lack direction, when uncertainty is the prevailing color on our wheel, we have the hope that Christ will direct us perfectly. As the good Shepherd, we can trust with certainty that we shall not want for guidance or protection along the way.

            When our prayers remain unanswered, when it feels as if we are hitting brick walls head on, God calls us to hope in him, to expect that he is at work. In the Old Testament we read, “Are there any among the false gods of the nations that can bring rain? Or can the heavens give showers? Are you not he, O LORD our God? We set our hope on you, for you do all these things” (Jeremiah 14:22). Our hope never lies with our current circumstances or our future aspirations. We place our hope in God who does all things well.

            For all the times life slams us into a difficult corner, God strengthens our hearts with hope, and makes a way for us to endure. In that confinement we may relate to Paul when he wrote, “Indeed we felt that we had received the sentence of death. But that was to make us rely not on ourselves but on God who raises the dead. He delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us. On him we have set our hope that he will deliver us again” (2 Corinthians 1:9-10).

            The God of the universe has proven himself faithful time and time again. On the cross he granted us the incomparable hope of eternal life. While we make our way on earth, we can confidently expect him to be sufficient for every step of the way.

            “And now, O Lord, for what do I wait? My hope is in you” (Psalm 39:7).

Photo Credit: Aaron Burden on Unsplash

Related Post

Helicopter Hymn

Helicopter Hymn

You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you. (Isaiah 26:3) I discovered growing up that if my father learned of someone with a particular need, he would stand beside that person, extend his hand, and...

read more
Elias

Elias

“Because he holds fast to me in love, I will deliver him. I will protect him, because he knows my name.” (Psalm 91:14) Our Uncle Elias lived well, exemplifying the art of loving others deeply as part of his brand of gentleness and compassion....

read more
Mary Who Ministered

Mary Who Ministered

“When he was in Galilee, they followed him and ministered to him.” (Mark 15:41) At times we foolishly presume that our lives must be perfectly aligned for God to minister through us. We think that in order for Christ to create something...

read more

1 Comment

  1. Jerry Berheim

    Thank you for the encouraging reminders, we are so blessed. JB

    Reply

Submit a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Share This