Arts Worship In May

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Daily Devotion
Hope in the Dark
Heb. 11:1; Rom. 5:1-15; Mark 9:14-24; 1Cor. 3:11
Believe

I believe in Christianity as I believe that the sun has risen: not only because I see it, but because by it I see everything else.

—C. S. Lewis 

True hope requires a firm, substantive foundation. As the author of Hebrews explains, “Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen” (Hebrews 11:1 KJV). Without our belief in the character of God—and our relationship with him—as our foundation, we might as well be hoping in Santa Claus or some app. 

I realize that all of these abstract ideas like belief can start to feel detached from the flesh-and-blood, bills-and-bankruptcy trials you may be going through. But maybe belief is not abstract. Maybe it’s the only foundation when everything is shaken. The Apostle Paul put it like this, “we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us” (Romans 5:3-5 NIV). 

Here’s my take on Paul’s progression from suffering to intimacy with God: When we’re suffering through hard times, we take God at his Word and believe that he’s still in control, with a specific purpose in mind. So we keep going, relying on him. As we keep going, hour to hour, day to day, week to week, we become stronger. Our faith grows, our maturity grows, our trust in God grows. As we get stronger, we believe in God’s goodness, more than our circumstances. We learn to believe in God’s promises.

Belief in God can be your firm foundation.

If you still want to believe, then God will meet you in the midst of your efforts to believe. Even if you throw your Bible across the room and shake your fist at God or question him, as Habakkuk did, God will honor the passionate sincerity of your pursuit. If you really want to experience God’s closeness and care for you as you go through trials—and you desire him more than just different circumstances—then he will come alongside you with each and every step. 

Pray: God, I’m choosing to believe in your goodness and love. I believe in Jesus, your Son, and what he did to save me. Will you become the foundation of my life? 

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— RE