“Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”

Romans 15:13  NKJV

This time of year is filled with many expectations and hope. One can quickly realize, even though it is the Christmas season, hope can diminish quickly according to life’s circumstances.

Let’s take the Israelites for an example. After moving out of Egypt, the people of Israel reached the Red Sea. The situation appeared to be hopeless: the water was in front of them and behind them there were the Egyptians. However, Moses raised their hopes: “The Lord will fight for you, and you shall hold your peace.” (Exodus 14:14) Moses made space for God to intervene so that hope could be restored.

Due to our circumstances, we can also become “trapped” and find ourselves hopeless. What are we hoping for? We are filled with hope for God’s intervention in many a need and in the guidance through the Holy Spirit; in particular, we are hoping for the return of Jesus Christ. Nowadays, life is so tightly organized that there seems to be only little space for God to intervene.

contemplation

What “traps” me in my life?

I will make space for God to intervene and restore my hope.

Psalm 46:10 says, “Be still and know that I am God…” When can I take time to “be still” and let the hope of God renew me?