Life
can be so disappointing at times. We allow our self to look forward to
something, and then our hopes are dashed. Yet, when we totally surrender our
life to Christ in us, it is much easier to hang on to our hope through the most
daunting of circumstances.
The
faith of Christ in us helps us to trust that what we hope for will materialize,
or that God will have something even better for us. Our faith in God's
faithfulness is our evidence of what we do not see (Hebrews 11:1).
God's
Word reminds us that the greatest spiritual fruit are faith, hope and love (1
Corinthians 13:13). The faith of the Son of God in us (Galatians 2:20) helps us
to hope for a positive outcome provided for us by God's love (Romans 8:35-38).
We
cling to the Lord through the good times and the bad, reminded that His
promises are ours today, as well as in the future. We can believe for the good
things that He will provide for us as we need them (Romans 8:28).
No
matter what we experience, what we lose, what trauma we encounter, or who
betrays or disappoints us, we still have a Father God who cares deeply for
everything that we are going through (John 3:16-18; Jeremiah 29:11).
Satan
bombards us with lies and half-truths cloaked in promises that will never
materialize. He does this in order to sway us to believe in him, and to follow
after him instead of following after God.
However,
when we hope in the Lord, we are never forsaken (Psalm 130:5; Hebrews 13:5). The
Lord is good to us when we rely on Him, seek Him and wait quietly on Him
(Lamentations 3:24-26).
We
pray the prayer that never fails, "Not my will, Lord, but Yours be
done" (Luke 22:42). We know that surrendering to the will of God is our
best possible course, because God's purposes shall ultimately prevail regardless of how
impossible our situation appears.
Prayer:
Father
God, show us from Your Word, the verses that will build our trust in You, and
reliance upon You. Give us Your peace, which transcends all human reasoning, to
cling to in times of tribulation (Philippians 4:6-7). Reduce our stress by
reminding us to focus on You and Your will, rather than on our needs and
desires.
As
we seek first Your Kingdom, You provide us with everything we need (Matthew
6:33). You are able to do immeasurably more than we can ever imagine; however,
You desire that we first ask for Your help in all things (Proverbs 3:5-6). Your
power works within us to comfort, encourage and bolster our faith to trust only
in You (Ephesians 3:20).
Thought
for the Day:
We
have no need to feel anxious about anything if we pray about everything, and as
we thank God for His provision as we present our requests into His safe keeping;
God's peace continually guards our heart and mind, as His Spirit transforms our
mind into the mind of Christ.
-
Philippians 4:6-7; 1 Corinthians 2:11-13
