The God of Hope

Today's Reading: Proverbs 25, Proverbs 27, & Romans 15:1-13

Scripture:

"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

Observation:

Hope is the fuel of life. When hope is gone, so is the power to continue. It is important to realize that God is hope. To be with God means to be with hope. But what a person believes to be true of God, His word, His ways, and His love directly impacts experiencing hope.

Application:

There are many days when I feel as if my hope is fading. In those moments I often feel a compelling desire to reach out for something to find relief. Anything that contains a promise of relief, joy, or peace becomes tempting. This morning is a great reminder that my hope is in the LORD. It is the only place that it can be found.

Prayer:

Father, when it comes to my searching for hope You are often the last place that I look. I review the condition of my world and think about changing my season of life; pursuing a better income, looking for a more fulfilling vocation, finding a new hobby, or scheduling time away. Only after all these things fail do I turn back to You.

I need Your help this morning. I do not know how to find all of my hope in You. The world is so loud. It constantly screams at me to do something. The pace of life makes sitting still and waiting on You feel impossible. I turn to You but I struggle hard in waiting on You to answer me. If I do not sense relief in a hurry, I turn away and look for my hope elsewhere.

Hold me still today. Let me find Your rest. Challenge my beliefs and fill me with the truth about who You are and who I am in You. I confess to You that in theory I believe You are the God of hope but in practice I seek my hope in my own dreams, plans and abilities. Open up my eyes to truly experience all the hope You have to offer to me today.