Hope and Peace
May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. Romans 15:13
I breathe in the clean, crisp air of a new morning. The rain has washed the landscape, my geraniums and petunias are bursting in their brilliant reds, purples, and whites. Familiar warbles and bird-songs in the trees above, a gentle baa from the barnyard, and I relax with my cup of coffee, content to know that this is my Father’s world.
He is the God of hope, and yes, he does fill me with all joy and peace . . . at this moment.
But what if I were in the middle of the fires that our neighbors are facing? What if I had been told last night that my loved one had been killed in an accident? What if I had listened to the news before I had my first cup of coffee?
Would God still be my source who fills me with joy and peace and hope?
Joy. Peace. Hope. Is there any hope left in this fallen world threatened by extinction from virus, political upheaval, storms, fires, and violence? From where do joy and peace come when every newscast is brimming with the degradation of our culture? Despair would be more natural.
Yet, I find hope, not by the world’s standards, nor because of my own optimistic soul. I find hope in a sovereign God. And I find joy and peace because I trust him to refill me again and again through the power of the Holy Spirit.
Yes, I am not alone, nor am I facing this world in my own power, with my own strength, with my own wisdom. This most comforting thought sustains my hope, peace, and yes, joy.
It is not optimism to trust all His promises. And I know those promises because I know Him.
Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.
Nancy Swihart
I am a mother of three, grandma (Oma) of eleven, and wife of a wise and energetic husband. We are retired (me from teaching, Judd from counseling) and are enjoying a time of reflection, a time of volunteering and serving, and a time of stretching to meet the new challenges of ordering our days that we may present to Him hearts of wisdom.