Romans 15:13 – Dare to Hope May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope. (Romans 15:13 ESV) Recently, I took a plane trip. The woman seated behind me on the plane was telling a story about her life to a fellow passenger. I couldn’t help but overhear her, and as I listened I became more and more saddened with each detail. That is, until she uttered three small words, “but, I hope.” As Christians, hope should pour out of our pores. Our hope is not found in temporary things, but in an unchanging Father. John Newton, the lyricist of “Amazing Grace,” wrote in it’s fourth stanza: “The Lord has promised good to me. His word my hope secures. He will my shield and portion be, as long as life endures.” In my hometown, there is a little boy that lives down the road from us, and he rings our doorbell in rapid succession ‘till someone answers. Our preschool-aged daughter enjoys playing with him and I am convinced that he adores my husband, a man who never tires of throwing the football. This little boy’s father is not in the picture. One day this little guy, my daughter, and I were taking a walk when I said something about Daddy to my daughter. The boy misheard me and asked, “You saw my dad?” My heart broke because his expression was so filled with hope. When I explained that I was talking about my husband, and not his father, he nodded and we kept on walking. The picture of that little boys hope has stayed with me to this day. We have all heard the saying, “Life is filled with disappointments” and that’s very true of our world. However, our hope is meant to be placed not in imperfect human beings, but on that which cannot be shaken: the character of a loving God (Romans 8:15-16). You see, I’ve seen our Dad in action, and He gives us every reason to hope. After all, He is the God of hope. Do those around you see the hope from the Father in your life? Guest devotion by Jessica Baughman. Jessica is the Director of Worship Arts at a church in Ohio. She is happily married to Brad, and they have two precious little girls. Learn how you can become a guest writer.
Posted on: Tue, 09 Sep 2014 09:56:41 +0000