Receive Double

Receive Double

TODAY’S SCRIPTURE

Instead of your shame you shall have double honor, and instead of confusion they shall rejoice in their portion. Therefore in their land they shall possess double; everlasting joy shall be theirs.

Isaiah 61:7, NKJV.

TODAY’S WORD

In the Old Testament when this scripture was written, God’s people were going through a very dark time. They were being held captive and mistreated by other nations. God sent this word to encourage them and give them hope for their future, and when the time came, God was faithful to His Word!

Are you going through a difficult time today? Let this word bring you encouragement, too. God wants to give you double for your trouble. He is the God of restoration—that means He’s not going to just repay you for every wrong done, He’s going to go above and beyond and make things even better than they were before.

If you are facing challenges today or going through a time of adversity, remember, it’s always darkest just before the dawn appears. Your days are destined to shine brighter because God is faithful. As you stay in faith and are obedient to His Word, you’ll receive double for your trouble and see His promises come to pass!

PRAYER FOR TODAY

Father, thank You for Your Word which lights my path and guides my steps. I choose to put my trust and hope in You today. Thank You for bringing restoration into my life as I keep my heart and mind stayed on You in Jesus’ Name. Amen.

***

There Is Always Hope by Rick Warren “May God, the source of hope, fill you with joy and peace through your faith in him. Then you will overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” (Romans 15:13 GWT) At the end of World War II, an American sub came back to Newport News, Va., to dock. As it came into port, something terrible happened, and the sub began to sink. The Coast Guard was immediately dispatched to go out and save the crew. Divers swam down to the hull of the submarine to discover the problem. As the divers got close to the sub, they heard one inventive sailor using a hammer to tap on the hull and ask in Morse Code, “Is there hope?” That’s a fundamental question of life — “Is life worth living?” It’s asked every day by thousands of people in thousands of different ways: As you sit in the doctor’s office awaiting test results When a couple who’ve put months and months into counseling gets nowhere When dealing with a tax accountant in a bankruptcy court When a family hears their child is missing You can go 40 days without food and three days without water. You can go eight minutes without air. But you can’t go a single second without hope. It’s an essential part of life. When hope is gone, life is over. Because hope is in such short supply in our society today, people will fall for all kinds of scams. They trust in false hopes, like psychic hotlines, palm readings, astrology, fake healers, and quack cures. Inevitably, those false hopes disappoint. Nothing disappoints worse than false hope. So where do I turn to find real hope? The Bible says to turn to God. Romans 15:13 says, “May God, the source of hope, fill you with joy and peace through your faith in him. Then you will overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit” (GWT). God is the only source of hope that’ll never disappoint. When we place our faith in him, he provides joy, peace, and hope that overflows. You need that kind of hope. At the end of the book of Ezekiel, God says, “I am Jehovah Shammah.” In Hebrew that means, “I am the God who is always there.” God is always there. He’s in your past, in your present, and in your future. He’s in the good places. He’s in the evil places. He is everywhere. And you are never, ever alone. And where God is, hope is. Talk It Over Within what experience from your past did you have the most difficulty seeing God’s presence? How does the realization of God’s presence give you hope in the midst of despair? Who is in the midst of despair in your life that you can encourage by reminding them of God’s presence?