Holding on to Hope

Can you die from losing hope? Absolutely, says one Johns Hopkins cardiologist who dubbed it the broken heart syndrome. Looking around us, we see a pandemic of hopelessness in both adults and, shockingly, our young people.

So how do we model and give them hope they can hold on to? Hope beyond the next assignment, the next school, the next relationship? Is hope more solid than the current trends, news, or celebrity phenomenon?

How can we hold tight—anchor in, tie on, lock in—unswervingly, fast, firmly, to hope?

We trust the one and only God and his forever promises. The way to build that trust is to remember the eternal truths found in what he has done, who he is, and what he promises.

We must hold tightly to the hope we say is ours. After all, we can trust the one who made the agreement with us.

Hebrews 10:23 (CEV)

Semper Fi! Our God is always faithful. We must tell our children the true stories of God’s incredible faithfulness. Tell them our stories, our friends’ stories, and the stories from the Bible of how God came through for his people repeatedly.

In the Military, we love our memorials. We want to remember the place the battle happened, the story's heroes, and the weapons used to win. In the Bible, God often told his people to create memorials by erecting stones or building altars so their children would ask about what happened and remember his faithfulness. We can do the same with our decorations, scrapbooks, and even collecting rocks that remind us of how God helped us through tough times.

We need to do everything we can not to forget how God helped us in the past, how he is present and powerful in our lives right now, and how he has promised good for us as we follow him.

Remembering our faithful God gives us the hope that will bring us through deployments, moves, cultural wars, disheartening news, and social media divides.

PRAY

Oh, faithful God! Thank you for all you have brought us through; only because of you can we find hope. Please help me remember to teach my children about you. Amen.

TIME TO TALK

Conversation starter for kids: Provides you with questions and prompts to facilitate a time of applicable discussion with children to lead them towards knowing God and His Word more deeply.

Question(s): What did you see and hear today that reminded you of God and his faithfulness?

Apply: Take a moment to share an experience from your life where you saw God’s faithfulness in action.

KEEP IT GOING

Related passages: These additional verses will help parents expand Scriptural knowledge and place on the armor of God’s Word to tackle each day. Swipe to read the passages today.

Joshua 4:6-7

1 Corinthians 1:7-9