I was unable to continue with the devotions last week due to an unexpected hospital stay. Five days of sitting in a hospital bed with nothing to do but ponder and pray. Nothing in this world is guaranteed. We can go from thinking we have the world in the palm of our hands to being truly humbled by God. Regardless of what is going on in our worldly lives, we always have hope.
1 Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2 through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we boast in the hope of the glory of God. 3 Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; 4 perseverance, character; and character, hope. 5 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 5:1-5
We can glory in our sufferings because we are better people because of them. We are who we are by the scars of our lives. We do not have to be ashamed. We are at peace with God by grace through faith. His love lives within us through the Holy Spirit.
I know that because of the health issues that happened last week, there are other things in my life that I must change. These changed things will shape who I am in the future. I still have God’s love in my heart. I am still at peace with God. I will, however, look differently at myself. My hope doesn’t change. It grows. I am a better person for it.
The next time something challenging darkens your doorstep, ask yourself, “How does this change who I am for the better?” How does your hope grow?
21 Days of Prayer and Fasting 