Read the transcript from today's video devotional.
Are you hopeful today? I know it's easy to look around and get very discouraged because things are not getting brighter. Whether you have a diagnosis, whether you're in a financial battle, or when we look at our nation and things are just getting darker and darker—where do we turn to for hope? Who is our hope? Is our hope in our abilities? Is it in people? Is it in our finances?
God, the Source of Hope
The Apostle Paul gives us a very clear answer and clear direction on where to turn to for hope. He says this: "I pray that God, the source of hope." He's saying, if you want hope, God is the source of hope. You know, when I was reading this text, I was reminded of the people that I'm praying for in my life to come to know the Lord, and most of them haven't responded to the Gospel yet. There's a few that have, but after praying for years and years and years, it's easy to just lose heart and say, well, I don't know if there's any hope for them and it's easy to lose hope.
Paul, in our text, is speaking to a very divided church, and his hope for them is that they would live in harmony. What he does is he tries to help them to take the focus off of themselves and look to the God of hope, because at the end of the day, our hope doesn't rest in a system. It rests in a person.
Joy and Peace Through Trust
Paul says, "I pray that God, the source of hope will fill you completely"—here it is—"with joy and peace." Here's why. Because you trust in Him. Joy and peace are available to those that trust in God. There's temporary peace that we can experience by experiencing the things of this world. Maybe when we go on vacation, it's easier. It's these bits and pieces of peace. But Paul says, do you want real peace? You have to go to the God of hope.
Then he says this: when we trust in the Lord, then you will overflow with confident hope. It's not just a wishy-washy hope. Notice that phrase he uses: confident hope. Because as believers, we have a confident hope that things will be made right again. There is coming a day where there will be no more pain, no more tears, and no more suffering. Why? Because our hope is in the God of hope.
God Is Always Working
Whatever it is that you're hopeful for today, maybe it's a family member that you're praying will be healed. Maybe it's a family member that strayed from the faith, and you've been praying for years. I want to remind you today, God is always working behind the scenes. Because you're a believer, because you're in Christ, you have hope. For the nonbeliever, there is no hope because they haven't placed their hope in the Lord. But for us as believers, the reason we look to the Lord is because our hope is in Him and Him alone.