Gifts From God: Devotions From Time of GraceSample

Gifts From the Spirit: Hope

People can bear almost any burden if they think that tomorrow has a chance of getting better. Cubs fans, backers of failed Broadway musicals, inventors, people laid off from their jobs, and people with major chronic illnesses all dream about next year, next season, the next project, the next interview, the next operation. But when hopes are crushed, the pilot light goes out in their eyes. There is no more deadening feeling than to feel hopeless.

The stories of God’s Old Testament people Israel will break your heart. The years 721 and 586 B.C. mark the disintegration and collapse of the Northern and Southern Kingdoms. But God told his suffering and exiled people, “I know the plans I have for you . . . plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future” (Jeremiah 29:11). And he did! After their military defeats and deportation, after 70 years of captivity, God restored the nation to its land, reestablished the people’s worship life, and at just the right time sent the Savior of the world to be born among them.

God knows your needs and knows your pain. Give him your fears and put your life in his hands. He had a plan for Israel, and he has a plan for you too. He absolutely guarantees that your future will be better than your past.