Romans 3:5 – Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us. (KJV)
The wooden plaque in the church lobby read, “No God, No Hope. Know God, Know Hope.” Today’s verse follows a sequence of events that brings hope to the believer. “We rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope.”
Americans have suffered much in the first half of 2020. The COVID-19 virus came at a time when the economy was blossoming and people were enjoying “the good life.” But it struck with a vengeance, and soon, with the advice of medical experts, the government was ordering that life come to a halt while hospitals, doctors, nurses, and first responders dealt with the threatening disease. Then, just as things were ready to begin to re-open, the actions of four policemen in Minneapolis brought chaos, terror, and fire to cities across the nation as peaceful demonstrations were hijacked by anarchists.
But God … isn’t that the first thing your mind turns to? God, who is able to calm the storms and still your soul, says that at the end of these sufferings, there is hope. Whatever you may anticipate for the future, you have Someone to trust. “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a HOPE” (Jeremiah 29:11).
Pray With Us
Eternal Heavenly Father, You are the God of all hope. My confidence, my trust is in You during these dark days in America. I am prone to anxiety, but as I meditate on Your Word, You still my soul. I pray for wisdom for myself today, for the words I use and the actions I take, for my thoughts; and, Holy God, I ask the same for the leaders of this great country, for President Trump, his advisers, our governors, mayors, police chiefs, and all who must deal with the tensions of the day and the evils of the night. Give our faith leaders words to say and messages to bring to reassure others of Your presence and tell them of Your peace. Thank You for always being there, my Shelter and my Salvation.
Amen.
