Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you will abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. Romans 15:13
The only way we can get through this broken life is with hope. Hope that the body will heal. Hope that our child will pass. Hope that the diagnosis will be treatable. Hope that someone will love and accept me. And the only way to move past all our hopes is in faith. Faith that, whatever the outcome of all our hopes, God is in control and He ultimately holds us in His hand. He loves us and cares enough about us to guide our steps and number our days, and every breath we take is because of Him. He will work everything together for our good. And faith says that even if it doesn’t look good to me, He knows best.
There are the really hard days, the ones you can’t see around the corner into tomorrow, and hope is elusive. These are the days when you know you have no control or power, and even with faith and trust in God, these days are hard. But there will never be a time when you can be closer to your Father. With hope and faith every step is taken so cautiously because you never know where the landmines are and the last thing you need is step on one. This is living in hope for tomorrow with faith for today, faith for this hour, for this minute. These are the times when “one step at a time” is the most ridiculous description of the path of blindness you are on, when you don’t think you can possibly go one more blind step. Every single move requires all the faith you can muster.
We all deal with different situations in our lives that try to steal our hope every day. They could be physical or financial. They could be emotional or spiritual. Possibly you have become hopeless about things that are affecting your life such as addiction, anger, pride, financial problems, etc. With Easter just being a few days behind us, the good news of the power of the resurrection and the promise of living hope is still fresh on my mind. We have living hope because of what Jesus did for us on the cross and because he rose from the dead. The power that raised Jesus from the dead has power over your life and the things that are stealing your hope.
Have you seen the resurrected Savior’s power in your life? Have you slipped your hands in the nail scarred hands? Every day is Resurrection Day in our lives. Every day we have access to that power for everything that comes our way. Every day, we can be resurrected in our wrecked lives. We don’t have to live in despair. We can live in the hope and power of the resurrection that brings determination and courage. That power gives us the strength to live for the Lord in hope. That power suffocates despair and propels us forward. Nothing we are facing or will ever face is too much for the resurrection power of Jesus in our lives.
Real sustaining hope, the kind that gets us through the tough times, doesn’t come from what you believe. After all, when the walls are falling down around us it is pretty tough to have hope. But real hope comes fromwho you believe. Today and every day we can proclaim the hope we have in living with a living hope that makes every tomorrow an opportunity for blessing and success. We have that hope because of what He did for us on the cross. The resurrection of Jesus fixes what is broken in man. Through His brokenness on the cross, he heals our brokenness. Through the resurrection He brings us victory every day of our lives.
Scripture to Claim:
Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you. 1 Peter 5:6-7
