Hope in the Lord

Hope in the Lord

TODAY’S SCRIPTURE

So Moses told the people of Israel what the LORD had said, but they refused to listen anymore. They had become too discouraged by the brutality of their slavery.

Exodus 6:9, NLT.

TODAY’S WORD

When you hear that “God wants to bring you out better,” does something come alive in your spirit? Something that says, “Yes, this is for me. I have not seen my best days. God has greater things in my future”?

Maybe you want to believe, but like the Israelites, you’ve been burdened down by adversity, trials and cares of this life. Maybe your mind has tried to talk you out of it saying, “This is not for you. You never get any good breaks. You’ll never be healthy. You’ll never be successful.” No, do yourself a favor. At least temporarily, turn your mind off and receive what God is saying. You may have gone through a loss, but God is going to bring you out better—promoted, increased, healthier, stronger and wiser.

Scripture tells us to cast our cares on the Lord because He cares for us. He doesn’t want us to carry a heavy load, discouraged and overwhelmed by things He already has the answer to. Don’t look at your circumstances; look to Jesus. Put your hope in Him. He is the author and finisher of your faith, and He will bring you out better and stronger than ever before!

PRAYER FOR TODAY

Father, today I cast my cares on You. I put my faith and hope in You. I believe that You are working behind the scenes on my behalf, and I give You all the praise and thanks as I wait with expectancy for Your goodness in Jesus’ Name. Amen.

***

Avoiding the Rearview Mirror

by Rick Warren

“Put your heart right, Job. Reach out to God .... Then face the world again, firm and courageous. Then all your troubles will fade from your memory, like floods that are past and remembered no more.” (Job 11:13, 15-16 GNT)

You can learn a lot by looking at your past. You’ve heard the saying, “Those who cannot remember the past are doomed to repeat it.” That’s true — but it’s only part of the story. You can’t heal the most pervasive, costly wounds in your life by focusing only on your past. To defeat those giants, you’ll have to look ahead.

Too often we try to find healing by looking in our rearview mirrors. When we do that, we’re more likely to crash than heal.

In Job 11, God tells us clearly how to get rid of painful memories and move on with our lives. He says, “Put your heart right, Job. Reach out to God .... Then face the world again, firm and courageous. Then all your troubles will fade from your memory, like floods that are past and remembered no more” (Job 11:13, 15-16 GNT).

First, put your heart right. You do what’s right — no matter what the other person does. It’s always right to forgive those who’ve hurt you.

Second, reach out to God. Invite Jesus into every room in the house of your heart. Often, we’ve invited him into the front room (accepted Jesus as our Savior) — but not the bedroom, kitchen, or garage.

Third, face the world again. Don’t hide in a shell or withdraw so you don’t get hurt again. Move forward. Learn to live again.

Your past is not your future. It doesn’t matter what you’ve done, who you’ve done it with, or how long you’ve done it. Throughout Scripture, God forgives murderers, adulterers, and slackers, and he uses them to do his work in the world.

You, too, have a great future ahead of you. Put your heart right, reach out to God, and face the world again.

And then let God do something incredible through you.

Talk It Over

• Why is it so easy to look at our past when trying to overcome pain?
• Who do you need to forgive in order to “put your heart right”?
• As you reach out to God for healing, into what rooms do you still need to invite Jesus?
• In what ways do you “hide in a shell” as you deal with hurt in your life?