Thoughts from daily Bible reading for today – April 12, 2018
By Tripp Prince
But I will hope continually and will praise you yet more and more. Psalm 71:14 (ESV)
For most of us, hope seems to be elusive and conditional. We may feel hopeful on a certain day or in a season of life, yet circumstances and situations can change that cause hope to dissipate, quickly being replaced with our doubts and fears. How can we join the psalmist in this bold proclamation that we will “hope continually”?
Hope is not the denial of pain or sorrow but is the steadfast belief that our fears do not have the last word. Christians are not asked to ignore or dismiss the reality of suffering and injustice in this world and in our own lives. We are never asked to simply put on a happy face and pretend all is well. Especially as people who follow Jesus in the way of the cross, to be with Jesus is to be in places of chaos and brokenness. He invites us into these places to join him in speaking life where there is death, proclaiming hope where there is despair.
We grieve and we cry out for justice, but we hear St. Paul’s words to us, reminding us that we “do not grieve like the rest of mankind, who have no hope” (1 Thessalonians 4:13).
Christians follow a crucified Lord who took every fear, every pain, and every doubt upon himself on the cross. Yet we also follow a resurrected Savior, one for whom the cross was not the end but the culmination of his mission to bring hope to the whole of creation. As it has been said by Christians over the years, “We are an Easter people and Alleluia is our song!”
Hoping continually in all times, places, and circumstances is not blind optimism or wishful thinking but is rooted in the death and resurrection of Jesus. Paradoxically, it is the celebration of our limitations! For hope to be genuine Christian hope and not simply positive thinking, we must embrace our inability to heal our own wounds or free ourselves from the things that bind and enslave us. Hope is surrender, turning to Jesus and asking him to work in our lives a freedom and a hope that we are powerless to do in our on strength.
Look to Jesus today and rejoice in the glory of the resurrection. As you do you will find strength for the journey and a hope that will never fade!
“The LORD delights in those who fear him, who put their hope in his unfailing love” (Psalm 147:11 NIV).
Prayer
Father, thank you for Easter and the hope we know and share through the death and resurrection of Jesus. Amen.Application
Where have your circumstances caused you to lose hope? How can the resurrection bring hope into even the darkest of places?Related Reading
Romans 5:1-4; 1 Corinthians 15:54-58; 1 Peter 1:3-6Post/Tweet today
Hope is not the denial of pain or sorrow but is the steadfast belief that our fears do not have the last word. #hopecontinually #WisdomHuntersWorship Resource
14-minute music video- Kristene DiMarco: O Praise The Name If you are blessed by these daily devotionals please prayerfully consider a donation to support Wisdom Hunters Resources. We are trusting the Lord for His provision. Learn how to help. Our free Apple app Our free Android appComments are closed.
Tripp
Are you saying we do not have the power to heal ourself or others ?
By His stripes we were healed (past tense )
We have the same power Jesus had when He was on earth to do the same miracles He did.
Dear Martin,
Thank you for taking the time to reach out to us with your thought provoking question. While I cannot speak directly for Tripp, I would like to offer you a few thoughts to clarify. In the process, I hope I do not “muddy the waters”.
My belief has been (and still is) that God can give any believer any spiritual gift He wishes, including the gift of healing. But truly, the gift is from Him, not from our own self. However, His mighty power is used in awesome ways by believers He has chosen, in both spiritual healing and physical healing.
I was not sure if you were referring to a spiritual healing or a physical but in both cases He can use us as a vessel of His healing.
In “Hope Continually” Tripp stated “Hoping continually in all times, places, and circumstances is not blind optimism or wishful thinking but is rooted in the death and resurrection of Jesus.” He goes on to state, “For hope to be genuine Christian hope and not simply positive thinking, we must embrace our inability to heal own our wounds or free ourselves from the things that bind and enslave us.” I think when he says “heal our own wounds, he is suggesting spiritual as well as physical.
Martin, we are thankful that you are in our Wisdom Hunter’s family and look forward to hearing from you again. I appreciate your comments and question and always am grateful for a reader that challenges me to dig deep into the Word. Your email was also an opportunity to sit and reflect on the power of our Great Healer. So thank you.
Rejoicing in our Great Physician,
your sister in Christ, Gwynne
Jeremiah 17:14” says “Heal me, O Lord, and I will be healed; save me and I will be saved, for you are the One I praise.”
Philippians 4:19 says “And my God will meet all of your needs according to the riches of His Glory in Christ Jesus.”