A Time For Hope

“Today’s Devotion” For October 27, 2005

Read: Romans 8:18-39; Psalm 147

A TIME FOR HOPE

"And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose." (Rom. 8:28)

I've had the words to an old song going through my head in the last hour. "When you walk through a storm, keep your head up high; and don't be afraid of the dark. At the end of the storm lies a golden sky, and the sweet, silver song of a lark. Walk on through the wind; walk on through the rain, though your dreams be tossed and blown. Walk on, walk on, with hope in your heart, and you'll never walk alone. You'll never walk alone." Perhaps you remember it. The words seem to be quite appropriate given the present situations in our nation and the world.

As I recall, this song used to be quite popular when I was growing up. In a world that seems to be increasingly "storm tossed" with economic troubles, crime, wars and rumors of wars, untamed and exotic diseases, international intrigue and distrust, terrorism, and all kinds of evil, it's hard for people to be filled with hope, much less joy. Moral and ethical dilemmas seem to crop up everywhere, whether in Supreme Court decisions or in medical research laboratories. These are the storms of life that surround and assault us. These are the storms with which Sin pummels us to challenge our faith and trust in God.

In the midst of those storms we are reminded by our Father in heaven that we are not alone. He sent Jesus to assure us that our plight is not permanent and our hope is secure in Him. Having overcome the power of Sin, death, and Satan, our Lord Jesus Christ has restored hope to us, as we receive the Father's forgiveness of all our sins through faith in Christ's death and resurrection.

We can fret and bemoan the current state of affairs in our nation and the world. We can worry that morality is going "down the tubes," and that there is no hope. Or, we can trust that God is still in charge, that we are His people, and that He has called us to be "the salt of the earth," to season it with His love, grace, and mercy, and to bring to bear the truth of His Word into the lives of people everywhere. Christ is the world's Redeemer and only in Him can the Supreme Court change its thinking, wars end, terrorism stop, moral and ethical dilemmas be resolved, exotic diseases be healed, and evil be overcome. As God's dearly beloved, redeemed children in Christ, our heads are held high with hope and joy, confident in the face of doubt, despair, and danger, and certain that "in all things God works for the good of those who love Him..."(Rom.8:28a).

Prayer: Father, help me to face the challenges and dangers of life on earth with confident hope and joy, knowing that You are in charge of everything and nothing can separate me from Your love. Help me to walk with my head held high, filled with hope and confidence in Christ Jesus, that I might be a true ambassador of Your peace to the world. Keep me from being afraid or uncertain about the future, and help me to put myself and the whole world in Your loving, all-powerful, and caring hands each and every day. So fill me with faith, by the power of Your Word and Spirit, that I might step forth in life each day, assured that I never walk alone and that I have hope and joy in Jesus; in Whose name I pray. Amen.
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--Pastor Boeck

Copyright ©2005 Rev. Richard J. Boeck, Jr. All rights reserved