Pastor Bill McKinley
Romans 15:13
13 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.
Where do you get your hope from? The world? Other people? Politicians? Performers? If we have hope in these fleeting ways, it won’t last long. It will be transitory. As people and society change, then what we have hope in will also change if we follow the world. We want to have hope in something that won’t change, that is steady, that will bring joy and peace. When I struggle with the world around me and my own life, I must remember where my real hope comes from – this is the assurance that what God promises will be. I can look throughout biblical history, but also my history and see where God has continually been faithful; during my mother’s long-term illness, or while moving across the country… the Holy Spirit has lifted me up.
I have found real peace only through knowing God. This is the peace that means not just the absence of conflict, but well-being and fulfillment of having enough in God. You don’t need anything else. I have joy in knowing Jesus surpasses any happiness or experience that anyone can provide. People will let me down, but knowing and trusting in God gives me eternal hope, for He has never let me down. For our God to be the God of hope means I will never be alone. I know when the world weighs on me I can find peace and joy through the Holy Spirit to comfort and sustain me.
Peace is a gift that we have when we are in relationship with God. It is open to all who call on Him. It never leaves, though we run from it too often. So, let’s seek a relationship with God and find real peace, real joy, and ultimately real hope.
Prayer: Father God, help me to draw closer to you so I can experience the hope that fills me up, the hope that brings joy, and the hope that will bring me real peace in this world that so often denies it. Amen
21 Days of Prayer & Fasting 