Hope...Don't Leave Home Without It!

Friday November 4, 2011

Today's Passage: Job 11:7-20
Memory Verse: Job 11:8

Last year, a friend of mine was told she had cancer. At the time, I'm sure fear in regards to her future were ever before her. However, she approached each day as if she had a lifetime to live. When she could, she continued to work and function in ministry as she'd always done. While praying for her one night, I asked God how she maintained such a positive outlook, and His answer was life-changing. He said "As long as she has hope, she has help".

Hope is not a man-made, emotional sensation. Hope is a gift given by God Himself. Its very definition describes it as a confident expectation. For the believer, all is not lost when the loved-one has passed, or when the diagnosis is spoken. All is not lost when the there are more bills than money. All is lost when the expectation that God will deliver what He promised is cast aside. Without faith, it's impossible to please God. Without hope, it's impossible to know Him. Hope brings a spiritual God into our natural world. It literally grants access into the kingdom of God. So, while some might have felt sorry for my friend, we rejoiced in the fact that she knew at any moment, God could take her cancer away. What do you hope for? As you think about your answer, be reminded that hoping is not wishing. Those who wish live by chance. Their lives are like tossing a coin into a well, thinking something will come out. Again, hope is expecting; like buying a ticket knowing the train will soon arrive.

Our passage today says God is far higher than we could ever imagine; deeper than we can comprehend. Nothing will ever be able to go over Him, or get around Him. He's all powerful, and totally inexhaustible. That being said, no matter the circumstances of our lives, we must position ourselves to access His limitless power. Hope establishes that position for us. So what part does hope play in getting us through tough times? It plays the biggest part. You can't get through tough times without hope. Just ask my friend, she sang with our praise team Wednesday night....cancer free!

Prayer: Holy Father, we are in awe of You. You give us everything we need. You knew there would be days our faith would be tested. You knew we'd experience moments of weakness. So You gave us hope. You promised us You'd be there for us. So, we'll live with expectation, in Jesus' name. Amen