Most of us think that we would be living happy and contented lives today if we had never known adversity and heartache. We believe that what we endured brought us to that place where we were powerless over our dependency and our life was unmanageable. In recovery, we are learning that it was the actions we took to compensate for whatever caused us pain that resulted in us being brought to that place of darkness. We are also learning that trusting God and having hope in His promises will help us endure whatever happens in the future.
We continue to shout our praise even when we’re hemmed in with troubles, because we know how troubles can develop passionate patience in us, and how that patience in turn forges the tempered steel of virtue, keeping us alert for whatever God will do next. In alert expectancy such as this, we’re never left feeling shortchanged. Quite the contrary—we can’t round up enough containers to hold everything God generously pours into our lives through the Holy Spirit! (Romans 5:3b-5 MSG)
If we have patience and trust Him to act on our behalf, God will steady us in the hard times of life. We get into trouble when we are impatient and start to look for our own solutions to life situations. When we begin to trust God and wait and have hope that He will act, we can leave everything in His care and anticipate the good He will bring to each situation we have entrusted to Him. In His time, we will see the result of our hope being fulfilled.
May the God who gives hope fill you with great joy. May you have perfect peace as you trust in him. May the power of the Holy Spirit fill you with hope. (Romans 15:13 NIRV)
As we follow God’s ways, we will become aware of problems we didn’t know existed. For example, we may discover that an attitude we are exhibiting towards someone is not in keeping with our new life in Christ. We should not be discouraged even if this seems to be a persistent problem. We have hope that, together with God, this and any other problem can be worked out and overcome.
Prayer: Gracious God, Thank You for the confidence You give me that, together with You, I can live a life of integrity and share the hope You have given me with others. Amen
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