Holding Out Hope

I pray that God, who gives hope, will bless you with complete happiness and peace because of your faith. And may the power of the Holy Spirit fill you with hope.

Romans 15:13 (CEV)

You hope to get on the track team. You hope to pass the test. You hope to make friends in your new town. You hope your grandpa gets well.

We need hope! Otherwise, we’ll be down about life. Thankfully our God gives us hope… and it’s a hope that is much bigger and lasts much longer than anything we can hope for on this Earth.

Today’s Bible verse talks about the hope God gives us through salvation, which means He saves us. When God sent His son, Jesus, to die on the cross, He took the punishment for our wrongdoing. Because of that, we can be forgiven. Without forgiveness, we’d have no hope of being together with a perfect, holy God.

But because of Jesus, we can have hope to enter His Kingdom, Heaven. That’s real, eternal hope!

And this kind of hope gives you joy through the Holy Spirit. Even when life can get you feeling down, God will never leave you hopeless. Remind yourself of the great price He paid for you on the cross. Thank Him for his love and forgiveness. And go out to face your day with the joy that comes from the God of true hope!

SPIRITUAL FITNESS TRAINING

The Holy Spirit fills us with hope. Sometimes it’s hard to know he is there because we can’t see him. This week, find a quiet room and pray that God will surround you with His Holy Spirit. He can do that! As you do so, jot down what you observe, so you can start to recognize the Holy Spirit in the future.

PRAY

God, there are a lot of things I am hoping for. I trust you to bring what is best.

KEEP IT GOING

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

Job 13:15

Psalm 42:5

1 Thessalonians 5:23–24

Hebrews 11:1

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This devotional was written by Tonia Gutting for the Hero Squad Program of the American Bible Society. Hero Squad provides complimentary faith-based resources to strengthen and encourage Military families through God’s Word. For more information or to enroll your Military family, check out our website, www.myherosquad.org.