A Call To Hope

Psalm 89:1-4

1 I will sing of the Lord’s great love forever;
with my mouth I will make your faithfulness known
through all generations.
2 I will declare that your love stands firm forever,
that you have established your faithfulness in heaven itself.
3 You said, “I have made a covenant with my chosen one,
I have sworn to David my servant,
4 ‘I will establish your line forever
and make your throne firm through all generations.’”

Romans 5:3-5

3 Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, 
because we know that suffering produces perseverance;
4 perseverance, character; and character, hope.
5 And hopedoes not put us to shame, because
God’s love has been poured out into our hearts
through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.

Advent Series: Living In Hope!
Psalm 89:1-4 & Romans 5:3-5

NewDay Friends,

We are all hoping for something better in this life. It is part of the human condition every single person is inflicted with. God designed us with an irrepressible desire that only He alone can fill. We have all kinds of other ways that the world offers to satisfy this longing, but they are short sighted and don’t last long. When we finally get in touch with the Creator who designed us and knows us best, we begin to experience a whole new reality! But we find that one of the patterns in history is that we have to go through a lot of pain until we are willing to accept that truth.

Take a moment to recall what the Hebrew people had to go through. For hundreds of years, they suffered under the yoke of Egyptian slavery. Then they wandered year after year (for 40 years) in the wilderness. Again and again, they gave up hope and looked to other gods. War, unfaithful rulers, grueling exiles, and arduous treks back to their homeland plagued their history. While many turned away from God and forgot his promises, a faithful remnant continued to hope in God’s ability. They finally came to understand this truth about God:

“The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness."
Lamentations 3:21-24

Sometimes we put our hopes in receiving something that we think is better than what God IS offering us. You miss out on what he might be doing right now in your life. Hope is not some sort of wish that we conjured up thinking would make us happy. It IS an utter dependence on the living God who truly enjoys providing for us in ways we often can’t see at the moment!

I would like you to spend some time reading this next text over each day this coming week during your time with God. Reflect on it as you go about your day. When you encounter some difficulty, or doubt, or disappointment – recite these verses out loud to yourself and see what begins to happen in your walk with God.

We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation. And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love. Romans 5:3-5

Grateful to walk this journey with you,
Pastor John