There Is Hope

Romans 15:4 For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope.

Romans 15:13 Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost.

I think one of the hardest things to do during a trial is to believe in hope.  It gets hard to breathe and just get up in the morning, much less hope that tomorrow will come with reprieve.  But God tells us in Romans 15 that we can read the Old Testament and gather some hope from the lives of those shared with us in the Scriptures.  And he tells us that He can fill us with joy and peace to the point that we can ABOUND in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost. 

But the question is, are we going to take Him at His Word?

Usually the first thing we stop doing when we are going through something, is reading God’s Word.  We wake up and feel that heaviness on our chest and glance at our Bible and figure, “What is the point?  God isn’t hearing me anyway”.  Then we go about our day, ho-humming about our woes and crying on our friend’s shoulder without ever acknowledging God’s promise to fill us with joy and peace. 

Look, I am no dummy.  I know it hurts when something bad happens.  I know it makes you feel like you have done everything wrong and the rest of Christiandom has done it all correctly.  I know you think God has turned His back on you and that you must not be worth His time and love.  I know!  It stinks to be feeling lonely and depressed as friends turn their backs on you when you need them the most.  And to read this blog post isn’t encouraging you at all, but hear me out.  Do you believe in God? Yes?  Well, can you deny what He has promised in Romans 15?  Would you be willing to make a last ditch effort and just believe Him with this problem in your life?  He is the God of ALL Hope. 

In Numbers 14 we find two men who chose to take advantage of Hope.  Now if God tells us we are to find comfort in the Scriptures written aforetime, then let’s take comfort from the lives of Joshua and Caleb. 

They have just spied out the land that God has promised them and found it is filled with peril and giants. The people are weeping all night in fear and Moses and Aaron (their leaders and heroes) have fallen on their faces in the assembly.  I bet it wasn’t a hopeful time.  But Joshua and Caleb stand up and express their hope in God to give them what was promised, even though it looked impossible.

Just reading this account encourages me as a missionary struggling to reach a city that couldn’t care less about Jesus Christ.  Why am I encouraged?  Because I know God called my husband and me here.  That means there are people He wants to reach.  Why do I have hope?  Because I am reading God’s Word and the stories of those who have lived before me.  I read it with the Holy Ghost living in me and He causes me to ABOUND in hope in the middle of hopelessness. 

You need to read ALL of God’s Word.  Don’t get stuck only reading passages that make you feel good.  Get out of just reading the Psalms and Proverbs.  There is comfort and patience, joy and peace and best of all, hope to be had in the books of the Bible.  Read them!  Abound in them!  Get to know Him better!

Until next time, Lord willing,

Sheri