13 Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
14 Now I myself am confident concerning you, my brethren, that you also are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge, able also to admonish one another.
God desires to produce hope - abundantly in our lives. And, that stands in stark contrast to the hopeless world we see around us. When there is disappointment, there is the potential to inject hope into the situation, to allow the Holy Spirit to produce a way forward, to enlighten hearts and minds to see solutions rather than insurmountable obstacles. When hopelessness has set in, we can depend on the Lord to invade our minds and to infuse a situation with His love and power.
In Romans 5, we gain some insight into how we can respond in the Spirit to suffering and to develop hope:
3b ...we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance;
4 and perseverance, character; and character, hope.
5 Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.
A New York City pastor witnessed the deadly terror attack in New York this past Tuesday afternoon. On his Twitter feed, Michael Rudzena, Pastor of Trinity Grace Church in Tribeca, the area of Lower Manhattan in which the attack took place, recounted events of that dreadful afternoon:
He said:
Rudzena also tweeted out: "For parents of kids who faced the tragedy: invite storytelling, question asking and be sure to point out the light in the face of darkness."
And, an NBC program host spoke out recently on the faith perspective of the situation. According to CBN News, Kathie Lee Gifford told CBN's Studio 5: "God is sovereign in all things..." She added: "His ways are not our ways, His thoughts are not our thoughts. We have to trust that He has it in control, even when it seems that everything is out of control."
Gifford also said, "He is a loving God, terrorism did this, not God," adding, "People say to me, how could a loving God allow this to happen? 'I always say, well a loving God loved us enough to give us freedom of will.'" She said the attack was the "antithesis of Jesus."
In our desperate times, we can be challenged to seek hope. I like what the pastor had to say about encouraging kids to open up and for parents to share light in the face of darkness. In the course of our interactions, we can project a sense of hope in Christ. The love of Christ can become such a powerful force to help provide clarity in uncertainty and comfort in the middle of confusion.
We are living in a world in which we need voices to give that hope. And, true hope comes from the knowledge of God. We can be prepared to share that hope...
...And to apply it in our own adversity. We are residents of a fallen world, but we are also aliens and strangers here. Our response to trial is greater trust in Almighty God, knowing that He is producing more of His nature in us through what challenges us. God does not promise us a sanitized, suffering-free life; rather, He wants to guide and strengthen us in the trials we encounter.
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In Romans 5, we gain some insight into how we can respond in the Spirit to suffering and to develop hope:
3b ...we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance;
4 and perseverance, character; and character, hope.
5 Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.
A New York City pastor witnessed the deadly terror attack in New York this past Tuesday afternoon. On his Twitter feed, Michael Rudzena, Pastor of Trinity Grace Church in Tribeca, the area of Lower Manhattan in which the attack took place, recounted events of that dreadful afternoon:
He said:
I heard gunshots as Lucy and I were walking out of the store toward Jack’s school. We ran back in ducking.The pastor went on MSNBC's Morning Joe program the next morning. The headline said: NYC pastor describes scene, calls for hope after attack..."
My son walked out of school and saw kids running. At first he thought it was a prank. But then began to run and as he ran he heard shots.
As he turned the corner he found a friend hiding behind a box on the phone and grabbed him and ran to our building across the street.
Today my son, daughter and I witnessed the terrorist attack in #Tribeca. We’re all ok but shaken. So proud of police, responders & neighbors
Rudzena also tweeted out: "For parents of kids who faced the tragedy: invite storytelling, question asking and be sure to point out the light in the face of darkness."
And, an NBC program host spoke out recently on the faith perspective of the situation. According to CBN News, Kathie Lee Gifford told CBN's Studio 5: "God is sovereign in all things..." She added: "His ways are not our ways, His thoughts are not our thoughts. We have to trust that He has it in control, even when it seems that everything is out of control."
Gifford also said, "He is a loving God, terrorism did this, not God," adding, "People say to me, how could a loving God allow this to happen? 'I always say, well a loving God loved us enough to give us freedom of will.'" She said the attack was the "antithesis of Jesus."
In our desperate times, we can be challenged to seek hope. I like what the pastor had to say about encouraging kids to open up and for parents to share light in the face of darkness. In the course of our interactions, we can project a sense of hope in Christ. The love of Christ can become such a powerful force to help provide clarity in uncertainty and comfort in the middle of confusion.
We are living in a world in which we need voices to give that hope. And, true hope comes from the knowledge of God. We can be prepared to share that hope...
...And to apply it in our own adversity. We are residents of a fallen world, but we are also aliens and strangers here. Our response to trial is greater trust in Almighty God, knowing that He is producing more of His nature in us through what challenges us. God does not promise us a sanitized, suffering-free life; rather, He wants to guide and strengthen us in the trials we encounter.
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