Psa 31:24 Be strong and let your heart take courage, All you who hope in the LORD. (nasb)
Do you ever look around and feel like there is just no hope? Today was one of those days for me. I wasn’t feeling hopeless for myself, but for those around me who don’t know Jesus or who seem to have fallen away from Him. We are surrounded by terrorism, heartache, disease, sexual perversion, and struggles of many kinds each and every day and they seem to be more numerous as the hours go by. The world is literally “going to hell in a handbasket” and very few seem to take notice, let alone care.
For me to find hope, I first need to trust that God is doing a work in me and in the lives of those around me that I love and care about. Rom 1:24 says that God gave them over in the lusts of their hearts… God is not only sovereign over the good things that occur in our life, but he is sovereign over our sin as well. God gives Satan a leash on each and every one of us and how long that leash will be is determined by God. When our loved one is tempted to live a life of homosexuality, God has allowed it. When one of our children or friends gives into the temptation of drugs and alcohol, I need to remember that God is working in that situation as well. Even when a friend or family member is caught in the sin of adultery God isn’t taken by surprise.
God’s ways are not our ways and there is hope to be found in understanding that He is sovereign over our sin. He is sovereign over the sins of this nation and the people who live in it. God isn’t taken by surprise when a large group of people march through the city streets celebrating gay pride, so neither should I. He doesn’t say “oops, there goes another one” when a loved one turns away from Him and lives a lifestyle that is contrary to His ways. God knows it and allows it because He is doing something that we may never understand. The hope for me comes from the promise that He makes to you and me in verses like Romans 10:13.
So today I find hope. I find hope in praying for my friends and family who have turned from Him and know that it isn’t a surprise to God. I find hope in knowing that His hand is working even when I can’t see it. And I find hope that He promises that whoever calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.
Thank you Lord for renewing my strength today when everything around me seems so hopeless. You are the door of hope this dying world needs. I pray that we, as Christians, can be bold in our faith, courageous in our walk, and proclaim you to those around us. Praise be to You! Amen
