Day 28 - 40 Days of HOPE

Dr Jim Brown's TruNorth Devotional
40 Days of HOPE
Day  28 | OVERFLOWING WITH HOPE
OVERFLOWING WITH HOPE

Romans 15:13
“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in faith so that you overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”


Do you ever feel “out of gas?”  You know the feeling… no energy, no zip, no joy, maybe even no desire to continue on?

Dr. Karl Menninger, the famous 20th-century psychiatrist, said: “Hope is a necessity for normal life and the major weapon against the suicide impulse.”
 
Hope.  

It’s been said that FEAR and HOPE cannot occupy the same space.

Maybe if you’re feeling “out of gas” and have less energy than usual, you’re running LOW on HOPE.

It’s not easy to be hopeful in today’s hostile world.  All around us is BAD NEWS and there’s seemingly no light at the end of the tunnel we’re in.

So, if HOPE is essential to enjoy a “normal life” and God seems to want us to “overflow with hope,” what do we do?  To whom do we turn? What can we read?  How can we pray to renew that hope we need?

Isaiah, from the 8th century BC, knew the answer: “They that wait upon the LORD SHALL shall renew their strength.” (Isaiah 40:31)

I really like that verse, that promise from God.  I like the SHALL RENEW – no if ands or buts.  The LORD shall renew our strength!

If your hope is feeling low, try this: (1) turn off ALL the electronics that surround and distract you – your phone/watch/tablet/TV/computer – all of it.  (2) Find a quiet place where you can be alone and uninterrupted.  (3) Take your paper Bible with you.  Open to Isaiah 40:31 and read it.  And as you do, remember: God inspired this Scripture.  This is a promise from God to YOU.  (4) Reread Romans 15:13.   This is another promise from God to you.  (5) Pray and ask the LORD to perform those two promises in your life.
 
PRAYER: Lord, I do want, I need, I desire the results of BOTH of those verses – those promises from You to me – to happen in my life.  Help me as I wait for You expectantly. Amen.