Hold Onto Hope: A 5-Day Devotional for Encouragement and New Beginningsنموونە

I had no idea that God was really trying to speak to me. I didn’t know how to listen to Him back then. I was too drunk on the weekends and too confused during the week to even consider the fact that God never abandons us. The liquor affected my hearing and my vision, but God kept on talking. It is clear to me now that even in 1988, God wanted me to know that once we decide to make Him the Lord of our lives, He orders everything that happens to us, and for us.

In Jeremiah 29:11, God spoke to us, saying, “For surely I know the plans I have for you . . . to give you a future with hope.” (NRSV) God’s plan has all the benefits we’ll ever need: a future with hope, free from the hold of sin and death. And with this new freedom, we’ve been adopted into God’s family, with full rights and a share in Jesus’ inheritance. What a revelation!

As things began to spiral out of control, with so much changing in our family, I was so grateful for my mother’s continued presence. Not only did she visit us as often as she could, but she also held my hand as I tried to navigate the chaos around me.

My saving grace remained the visits from my mother, who took her vacation time to come to visit us everywhere, except when we were out of the country, and on one occasion she even brought my grandmother and cousins, too. It was during this time that I found out the same thing Joseph eventually learned. What the enemy meant for evil in my life, God had turned around right before my eyes, even though I could barely see. Everything I had gone through and was going through in my life had been done for my own good! It was most certainly God saying, “I know the plans I have for you.” God wanted me to know that although I had a bevy of problems and personal issues going on within, this was still a sure indication that a promise He gave me was about to be fulfilled. My future was filled with hope.

Prayer

Heavenly Father, I am so grateful to be Your child. Please guide my steps as I keep my focus on the hope You have given me. Amen.