DEVOTION – DAY 348

Romans 15:13 “God Gives Hope”

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

Do you feel overwhelmed by your current circumstances? Are you depressed because of some medical condition that weighs you down physically? Do you feel lonely and unappreciated? If you are having such feelings and you are feeling depressed, then, look to God. Romans 15:13 tells us that He is the God of hope. That means that when we think the situation is hopeless, we are to turn to God. Any hope that Christians have, ultimately comes from God Himself. No one can create hope through their own human effort. Hope is a gift from God by His Spirit. So, if anyone lacks hope and guidance, they are to pray and seek God, spend time reading His Word, meditating upon His Word, and the Holy Spirit will give hope.

We know someone who has a strong family history of diabetes. Although he was generally careful about his food, by the time he was in his forties, the doctors diagnosed that he had diabetes. Given his family history, he was told by the doctors that he needed to be on medication and in time, if the medication is insufficient for his condition, he would have to be on insulin. This was what happened to some other family members. This man was depressed when he was given the diagnosis. His situation seemed inevitable. Rather than giving up, he prayed to God. He decided to research on what food he needed to avoid, and what lifestyle changes he needed to make – to control his blood sugar level. He prayed, and asked to Lord to give him the strength to persevere and make the changes to his diet and life-style.

It is now some years since then. His diabetes is well-controlled – to the point where he does not require Insulin. He is now only on diet-control. He is grateful to the Lord who gave him hope and the strength – to overcome his health issue.

Let us pray: Heavenly Father, you are the God of hope. Thank you for giving us hope and strength in every situation when we see You. Please help us to turn to you to gain victory over our circumstances and instead giving up hope. We humbly ask this in the blessed name of your Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.

Questions:

  1. When you face challenging situations, to whom do you turn to? Your family, friends or colleague, or the Lord God?
  2. How has the Lord helped you overcome a seemingly hopeless situation in the past?
  3. What difficulties are you facing now that you need to seek the Lord to guide and give you hope?