Day 13: Wednesday, March 15, 2017
Rev. Sela Finau

 

Scripture: Romans 5:2-4 (NRSV) through whom we have obtained access to this grace in which we stand; and we boast in our hope of sharing the glory of God. And not only that, but we also boast in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope,

 

Devotion: As children, we may have dreamed about what we would be when we grew up. As we got older, we continued to dream of what our life may look like, and it may have changed from one day to the next. We continued to imagine ourselves as being successful in whatever career or position we held. As an adult, we eventually began a vocation and a career that we thought would last us the rest of our lives.

 

However, the problem is that the rest of our lives may change quickly if we lose our job. Terrible things happen in life and may leave us feeling hopeless. An illness may prevent us from working. A death or an accident may leave us distraught. A natural disaster destroys our home. Unexpected events shake every bone in our body. Our trust in the goodness of life vanishes. We’re suddenly set adrift, with nowhere to go and nowhere we want to go. We imagine that life has been unfair to us and God has left us.

 

Whatever the circumstance that brings a loss to our life’s direction, there is still reason to maintain a sense of hope. This kind of hope is built on trust, not in ourselves or others, but in God. Our hope rests on the awareness that God is in control. The same God that calls us by our first name and knows the number of hairs on our head. God holds us up in our times of need. Take comfort in that knowledge and pray that God will plant new seeds of hope in our hearts.

 

Prayer: Dear God, life is not easy. It is in your mercy that we are able to do the things today. We can do nothing more than trust in you. Help us to grow through this process called life, and comfort us who are experiencing difficulty with a change in our life plan. Please give us the strength and courage to continue hoping. Amen

 

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