Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade—kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls.Taken from the Holy Bible ~ 1 Peter ~ Chapter 1 ~ Verses 3-5
Hope is not an optimistic outlook or wishful thinking which has no foundation. It is a "confident expectation based on solid certainty. Biblical hope rest on God's promises, particularly those pertaining to the return of Jesus Christ. Hope is never inferior to faith, but it is an extension of faith. Faith is the present possession of grace; hope is confidence in grace's future accomplishment." (Strong's #1680)
The opposite of hope is despair. Despair is the complete loss or absence of hope.
Have you ever been there? Ever been in a situation where you have done all you could do to make things better? To fix the problem? To change things and all to no avail? No matter what you do nothing seems to work and in fact things only seem to get worse? I have!
I know what it's like to live in despair. To be so swallowed up in the circumstances that you can’t see a light at the end of the tunnel. To loose hope that things will ever change for the better. What a terrible place to be.
Many times when people face hopeless situations the first thing they want to do is blame God. I cover that topic in another blog titled: "It's All God's Fault" Check it out by going to:
http://cccenterhope.blogspot.com/2012/08/its-all-gods-fault_13.html
I also know what it’s like to serve a God who promises to never leave me or forsake me. Who wants me to know Him...Really Know Him!
I began to make a list of what the Bible says about God and who He is and how well I really knew Him is those areas. You see the Bible tells us that God is our Comforter, our Deliverer, our Healer, or Provider, our Savior, our Living Hope and a Friend who sticks closer than a brother. Just to name a few.
Then it hit me. For me to really know God as my Comforter I must first need comforted. Which means I am going through something that is bringing great sorrow. A light came on in my head as this reality began to unfold.
For me to know God as my:
...Deliverer, I must be in bondage to something and in need deliverance.
...Healer, I must first be sick and in need of a healing.
...Provider, I must have a need that I can’t provide for.
...Savior, I must recognize that I am lost in my sin and need to be rescued.
...Living Hope, I am facing a hopeless situation.
...Friend, I must allow Him to into my life.
My live was changed that day as I ask God to reveal Himself in the midst of my trial. Although I was not sure how it would turn around, I learned, once again, that I could trust Him and cling to Him like never before.
Just like Peter said in our scripture above, Even though I have not seen Him, I love Him. And I know I can trust Him.
What about you today? Do you know God as your Comforter, your Deliverer, your Healer, your Provider, your Savior, your Living Hope and a Friend who sticks closer than a brother? If you don’t, you can. And He wants you to!
Just think...the God who created the universe and all that’s in it, loves you and wants you to know Him...to Really Know Him. He wants you to experience this Living Hope as you walk your journey on this earth.
Talk to Him. It’s so easy to do. Talk to Him like you would your best friend. He is waiting to hear from you. Ask Him to show you the way and then walk in that direction.
Feel free to e-mail me if I can pray with you concerning the trials you are facing. You can reach me at:
Mckinleyclm@gmail.com
My prayer for you today:
Father God in Heaven, I pray for those reading this blog today. You love them and You see all they are facing. Give them the courage to take that step toward You. May they come to know...to Really Know You in every area of their lives. In Jesus Name, Amen
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