I’m not the only thing that is a hot mess. Our world is currently a 10 on the hot mess o’meter and many of us are struggling. My husband is kind of a buzz kill. We went on a “date” (I use the term loosely) the other night and he proceeded to tell me the latest in the news (I prefer to be ignorant) and then shared that our food supply is going away. He can be a bit of a conspiracy theorist, but my stress level was rising by the minute. Personally, I’m not sure how I could handle everything that is going on it if I didn’t have hope. So, what is hope? It is a feeling of expectation and desire for a certain thing to happen.
Where do you place your hope? We often place our hope in other people, our careers, material possessions, the government, the economy, etc. Have you ever tried that? If so, I’m guessing it didn’t work out so well. Placing our hope in anything but God is like expecting a tree to grow and flourish in a barren desert. It won’t and we will be disappointed every time.
When we place our hope in God, it will:
- Renew our strength – “…but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint (Isaiah 40:31).”
- Bring us security – “You will be secure, because there is hope; you will look about you and take your rest in safety (Job 11:8).”
- Bring us joy – “Be joyful in hope (Romans 12:12).”
- Bring love – “And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us (Romans 5:5).”
Our world is uncertain and filled with violence, confusion, fear, and hopelessness. I choose to experience the world through the lens of hope in the living God. Will you?
