Finding Hope

Hope: n. desire accompanied by expectation of or belief in fulfillment

I can have hope for a good future because I trust God. I do not put my hope in men or women, all of whom are fallible. All make mistakes. All say dumb things. All inflict hurt one way or another. Instead, I can maintain hope in God, because he is worthy of my trust.

Trust: n. assured reliance on the character, ability, strength, or truth of someone or something

I trust God because his character is good. I’ve read The Book. Twenty-plus times over and over. From cover to cover God demonstrated the simple desire to have his creation look to him with trust and to obey him. He wants the best for me. That does not mean my life will be picture perfect, but in him I put my faith.

Faith: n. belief and trust in and loyalty to God; complete confidence

December 6 will mark 50 years of faith for me. My college roommate and a friend attended a film called “For Pete’s Sake.” In the story Pete learned that he could have a personal relationship with God. I’d never heard that before–the idea of a PERSONAL relationship with God. I wanted that. I’d known of a distant God and believed in him, but I wanted that personal relationship. So I put my faith in him that night and have never looked back. I’ve never regretted that decision. And I have pursued that personal relationship and been freed of depression, fear, worries, and insecurities.

In other words, faith works. I’ve seen it in others’ lives, and I’ve experienced it in my own. So, because I have faith, I can trust God . . . and I can also experience a hope that passes human comprehension, because I know it will be well with my soul.

Pray with me today: “Lord God, I need you in my life more than ever before. I admit that am a sinner and ask you, Jesus, will come into my heart, mind, and soul and change me from this place of hopelessness to someone filled with faith, trust, hope . . . and even the peace that passes human comprehension. Thank you for doing that now, God, in Jesus’s name. Amen.”

Let me know if you prayed that prayer for the first time, and I will send you my free ebook, “Prayer Helps: Scripture-Based Prayers When You Don’t Know How to Pray.” May God bless and keep you. Keep #LookingUp!

Janet McHenry is a speaker and author of 24 books–six on prayer, including PrayerWalk and The Complete Guide to the Prayers of Jesus. Her business name is Looking Up! because she firmly believes going to the Problem Solver in prayer as a first response is so much more effective than waiting to pray as a last resort. She would love to connect with you: https://www.janetmchenry.com. #LookingUp #pray #prayer #prayers #justpray #needprayer #PrayLikeJesus #PrayersofJesus #PrayerWalk #walkandpray #PrayerStreaming #praywithoutceasing #PrayerExperiment #answertoprayer #prayerworks #beananswertoprayer #PrayerChangesTeens #DailyPrayerWalk #Bible #Bibleverse #Biblestudy #dailyBibleverse #Bibleteacher #speaker #Christianspeaker #retreatspeaker