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 A collective reflection on Hope, Peace, Joy, and LoveThursday, December 5, 2024 |
| Building Trust Through Hope Romans 15:13 (TPT) Hope is the driver for my faith and walk with Jesus. I love the version of Romans 15:13 that calls God, “the fountain of hope.” What a fantastic word picture of constantly flowing, ever available hope to fill us with joy and peace as we trust in a God that is always available. Trust does not come naturally to me because I am a bit of a control freak. I have way too much confidence in myself and my abilities, and I come face to face with my control issues all the time because life makes it clear that I control very little. I struggle to come up with an example because it’s a part of almost every day. God is patient and good though. Whenever I have to recognize that something is out of my control and turn it over to God in prayer, he shows up. This builds up both my trust and my hope. When situations and people are difficult and I am sucked into frustration, anger, or grief, what pulls me out is hope. Hope develops trust, and trust develops hope; joy and peace are often comforting by-products. Our circumstances change all the time. Comfort won’t last, but neither will hardship or sorrow with an eye toward hope in the future. I’m better at this today than I used to be. I trust God more from experience, and I generally have more peace about what I don’t control. One of these days, I hope that turning to God is my first reaction all the time. Until then, I can look back over the years and see the fingerprints of God on so many moments of my life. Those moments give me hope for the future – not guarantees that everything will go according to (my) plan, but trust because of the echoes of hope from the past. Hope is powerful! By Molly Fisher PRAYER FOR TODAY God, help me tap into you as a fountain of hope. May I be someone that trusts in the power of the Holy Spirit and allows your peace and joy to fill me up to overflowing. Help me give to you my hurts, my frustrations, and the things that overwhelm me that often accompany this time of year. Instead, let my soul remember the fulfillment of your promises this Advent season – and make them my own. Help me surround myself with you “until I radiate hope!” |
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