The Source of Our Hope - The Crosswalk Devotional - June 16
The Source of Our Hope
By Cindi McMenamin
Bible Reading:
“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 NASB)
When life seems to fall apart, we can begin to wonder why we’re here and if someone truly controls the grand scheme of things. Where is God, we might wonder? And can He really hold this together?
Research says humans cannot live without food, water, and shelter. It usually takes 40 days or less without any of those elements for the body to die. But scientists and medical experts have now concluded that one thing humans cannot live without for an even shorter amount of time is hope. Without hope, the spirit gives up far earlier.
We need hope for the future, a sense of purpose, and the assurance that there is a divine design to life and that things really do happen for a reason in the grander scheme of things. We need hope that help will arrive soon for whatever is ailing us.
I’ve heard many believers say they hope that when they get to heaven, God will reveal to them why a loss or difficulty occurred. That sounds like hope in one day gaining answers to our questions or the assurance that there was a reason for our suffering. Yet what you and I really need is hope in the One who holds all things together, including us.
Romans 15:13 tells us He is “the God of hope.” And Colossians 1:17 tells us, “He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.”
Intersecting Faith and Life
Because you and I know God in a saving relationship with Jesus Christ, we should be the most hopeful people on the planet. And yet studies show that anxiety, depression, and a sense of despondency are at an increasingly high rate today, even among believers. According to Barna Research Group, the top two things U.S. adults are looking for spiritually are inner peace and hope, and that statistic is among believers, as well as unbelievers. (https://www.barna.com/research/year-in-review-2023/)
That tells me there’s a disconnect between believing in God, knowing Him and His character, and realizing He is the God of all hope.
Scripture defines faith, in Hebrews 11:1, as “the assurance of things hoped for; the conviction of things not seen” (NASB1995). If faith is believing what we hope for exists, then clearly having faith in the One who can do all things should make a tangible difference in our lives and our anxiety levels. It should give us hope.
The opposite of hope is doubt, pessimism, or despair. That last condition is one of the leading reasons behind suicide, which is now one of the leading causes of death in the U.S., represented by one death every 11 minutes. (The number of people who think about or attempt suicide is even higher.) In 2021, an estimated 12.3 million American adults seriously thought about suicide, 3.5 million planned a suicide attempt, and 1.7 million attempted suicide. And this statistic is no longer represented primarily by seniors and veterans. In 2021, suicide was among the top nine leading causes of death for people ages 10-64, and it was the second leading cause of death for children ages 10-14 and adults ages 20-34! (https://www.cdc.gov/suicide/facts/index.html)
Knowing the God who is in control of all things shouldn't give us the hope and peace we need to survive this world, or at least one more day? Not unless we really trust this God we claim to know. When we truly get to know Him through His Word, we can trust Him and realize our suffering is for a reason—it is shaping us into the likeness of Jesus.
Please don’t give up, my friend. The God of hope, whom Scripture says does not disappoint, can “fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you will abound in hope by the power of His Holy Spirit.” And the God of hope holds all things together—including you.
Further Reading:
Romans 5:1-5
For more on growing closer to the God of hope, see my books: The New Loneliness: Nurturing Meaningful Connections When You Feel Isolated, and The New Loneliness Devotional: 50 Days to a Closer Connection with God.
Photo Credit: ©GettyImages/Motortion
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