Hope Unstoppable: 31 Day Devotional Page 6

  In Jesus’ name,

  Amen

  Day 31

  “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.” Isaiah 55:9 (NIV)

  Life can feel overwhelming—impossible even—leaving us to feel stuck, immobile, and helpless—and sometimes all of those things daily. The Bible teaches that the Lord has a good plan for each of our lives (Jeremiah 29:11) and that He cares for those in trouble (2 Corinthians 1:3-4). The Lord is able and willing to aid us in our darkest hour. He is truly the beacon of light, the strong arm that pulls us out of the pit.

  Give God your tough situations, give Him the easy ones, give Him all. He has us in mind, and He has a plan for us that is so great it is baffling to the human mind, that requires divine intervention, that leads to the right place and the right time. He is interested in your circumstances because He is especially interested in you. His greatest desire is to make us like Jesus, for us to be Jesus to others. In the end, we will all live with Jesus for all eternity and not much of this will matter. Perhaps the quickest way out of the pit, and a foolproof way of not falling back into it, is to place our minds on heavenly things, one hundred percent focused on our Savior, and looking at this life through the lens of Jesus Himself.

  Lord, thank you for caring for, for calling us Your children. What an honor it is to be a child of the King, the creator of the universe, the one true living God. Who have we but You? Who cares more for us than You? You sacrificed Your own child so we may know eternal and abundant life. We humble ourselves before the throne with gratitude, open hearts, and open minds for the wonderful plans You have for us. Thank you for Your never-ending mercy, favor, and beautiful grace.

  In Jesus’ mighty name,

  Amen

  Hope

  I hope you enjoyed the devotional and that it has renewed and refreshed your spirit. Here are a few final chapters concerning the storms of life and journeying through them with unstoppable hope.

  I’m a bottom line kind of girl. Tell me what I need to know in three sentences or less, a sound bite of no more than fifteen seconds. I want answers and I want them now. Life doesn’t always operate on my terms, so seeking out patience always seems on order. But for the sake of the topic at hand, let’s get right down to brass tacks. Jesus tells us in the Bible that “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” (NIV) Some days it feels as if I’m far more familiar with the destruction of the enemy than I am abundance, but Jesus is telling us that we have a choice—give way to evil or follow Him. I think He’s set up a pretty convincing argument to choose the path of least resistance. Above all, Jesus is issuing a warning and an olive branch. I choose the abundant life He has to offer, and I believe you have too or you wouldn’t be holding this book in your hand.

  Everyone goes through trials; some far harsher than others. It happened to me. One day I was going about my business and the next I was thrown into a proverbial dark room where the walls were spinning. Someone cut out the floor from beneath me and I tried to grope my way out, but it was too late. I had fallen into a pit of despair so deep, so damning, everything felt overwhelmingly hopeless. It was the darkest moment, the bruise over my existence. Death lingered over me like a dream out of reach, and I was plagued with the darkest of thoughts. There was only one way out, a beacon of light in this indescribable terror, and that was Jesus. A life raft in the hellish gale that had taken over my life, and suddenly nothing or no one mattered but Him.

  Sometimes the pit you find yourself in is so steep, so deep—so laden with grief—it’s impossible to imagine ever making your way out. I know. I’ve been in a pit so dark that even the blackest night would have afforded too much light in comparison.

  Night comes. Before you know it, a dark season envelops you. There isn’t a whole lot you can do other than moan in mortal agony—that is, until you realize you are not truly alone. The God of the universe is right there by your side, and He has promised to never leave you, never forsake you, never let you fall (Genesis 28:15). That is great news, but at the moment you may not be able to see Him, feel Him, hear Him. Everything around you says there is no way out, no light, no exit, no hope. The darkness always wants you to linger, but the Bible teaches that the valleys in our lives are no place to remain. They are passageways to a better tomorrow, a pathway to the other side where victory waits, where our true destiny lies. Let’s journey together through the pitfalls and triumphs that so many of us fall into. Let us head into the valley first. I promise we’ll only be there a little while.

  Perils of Lingering

  A mess of our own making is something all of us are familiar with. I’m certainly no different. When life stuck its ugly foot out and tripped me hard, landing me face-first into the mud, I couldn’t see or breathe. Yes, I stayed down a moment or two (which felt more like an eternity or two), but the Holy Spirit was quick to whisper to my heart, get up, do not be afraid, be strong, and go.

  First, let’s get one thing straight. I wasn’t simply afraid. I was downright bone-trembling terrified. Suddenly, my worst nightmare had manifested itself. I was facing something bigger than me, something dark and cloying that instantly robed itself around me like a wet sheet soaked in gasoline, and it was me who had inadvertently lit the match. Sometimes we make mistakes on purpose, and sometimes we make them without realizing it. I wasn’t even sure at the time which category I fell into.

  Nevertheless, there I was, in the lowest pit I had ever landed in. Rock bottom was a ceiling I couldn’t even hope to reach. Are you there, friend?

  Are you so low that you’ve long since plummeted past rock bottom? I was, too. You know who met me there? Jesus. In fact, He was a first responder. How awesome is that? He quickly became the literal rock I rested on, that I clung to. I mined His Word for strength, and He doled it out as quick as I could take it. I highlighted, underlined, colored a rainbow, bookmarked, and dog-eared my way through my Bible until it had looked as if it went through a warzone. I started a journal. Not to chronicle my pain but to chronicle my recovery. God’s Word promised that a rebound was coming. The days of the righteous grow brighter and brighter. But I wasn’t there yet. In fact, I still had my face stuck in the mud. I was having a tough time getting up, let alone getting onto all fours. I was lingering, stuck in the storm. My boat was spinning around in a circle as if my ocean of disaster morphed into a drain and I was slowly being flushed down the toilet of life. It was happening. I was coming undone, unglued, unmoored. Catastrophe had become my name.

  But the Holy Spirit whispered to my heart once again. He assured me none of that was true. He asked me to trust Him—to understand that He loved me, to know in my gut, my bones, every cell of my body that I was His precious daughter. How inconceivably wonderful. I thought I knew it before, but on the journey that was ahead, it became engrained into my being.

  Every molecule of my being was singing praises to my Father. I didn’t waste any time in acknowledging and accepting who I was. I was indeed the daughter of the King, and I felt both humbled and happy at the same time. This was a strange burst of joy in that darkness, the first piercing that washed warmth and sunlight over my world once again if only through a pinhole. I was not wallowing in the mud anymore. I was devoutly coloring in my Bible like a good little soldier, like a daughter brushing up on her wonderful new family history. I was finally on the move again, sludging my way through the storm one inch at a time.

  Don’t get me wrong. I wasn’t exactly doing a victory dance just yet, but what I was doing was immersing myself in the Lord, in His word, and every televangelist who I could set my DVR to or listen to on the radio. Any modality the Lord wanted to use to infuse His word into me was a welcome relief. I gobbled up books upon books about this horrible dark pit I had fallen into, about night seasons, spiritual storms. But all of those words, written or spoken, were taking some time to sink in. More than anything I wanted the Lord
to simply flip the switch, turn off this nightmare, and turn back on the lights. I prayed for a quick reversal of this misfortune, anything that could erase this horrible new reality, but there was no quick fix coming. In fact, the only thing I knew without doubt was that my feet were on a path, and I knew I had to walk through this dark night with all of its knife-sharp hail, the terrifying jags of lightning, the horrific thunder. I had finally built up my resolve. I refused to linger, but I couldn’t figure out if I was moving in the right direction. God had forgiven me. That was a wonderful feeling. But the truth was, I hadn’t quite forgiven myself.

  This is the memo I wanted to send to all of my friends: Guys! Pity party my house. Stat! Yeah, it was going down, all right, but the guest list consisted of just me. I willingly drank the maddening wine of comparison. I was doing the exact opposite of what the Lord wanted—juxtaposing myself with other people, other women. As if life wasn’t challenging enough in my own lane, I was trying to illegally cross a double yellow line and figure out how to become someone else. It took a good long while—and a couple dozen solid sermons on the topic—for me to figure out this was not the path He wanted. I was created unique, and I was to live out my unique life in the manner He had intended just for me.

  The same goes for you. He has an amazing plan for you, but here’s the thing: no one else is capable of carrying it out quite like you. It’s basically pointless to look to others and dwell on how great they’re doing—how seemingly problem-free their perfect lives are—because at the end of the day, their lives aren’t so perfect either. Yes, they might have the very things you’re after, but those are their gains. This is the part where we dig deep, press into Jesus, accepting where we are and working with Him to take us to where we need to be. He cares about us. It’s such a relief. I promise you, a pity party is the only feast He is not interested in you having. The Lord repeats the phrase be strong several times to several different people within the Bible. King David says it best in Psalm 42:5: “Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise Him, my Savior and my God.” (NIV)

  The solution sounds easy, far too easy for us professional pity partiers to comprehend. But the solution is real and it’s lasting. Put your hope in Him. Trust Him. Praise Him. So simple. So extreme. So radical.

  Sometimes we see hope in two different ways. The first being incidentally gratifying. Take for example a hot day. You’re looking forward to getting your hands on a nice, cool drink—you hope you’ll get a frosty can of soda. You can practically taste it as you’re headed for the fridge. You pray your husband didn’t down the last one. A twinge of excitement hits you as your fingers curve over the handle. You open the door and there it is. “Hello, Dr. Pepper! Get your icy self into my stomach!”

  The other way we look at hope is something of a wish or a dream. I hope I win the lottery. The very worst example ever, I know. But you get what I mean. It’s a far-off notion that we might as well accept will most likely occur to someone else. I’ve never won the lottery before, so I don’t see why I would think it would happen for me this time.

  One version of hope seems wholly possible, the other wholly improbable.

  The underpinnings of hope in the Bible are set to a different standard. According to God’s word, we don’t need to set limits on what God can do. He can heal the sick (Matthew 8:1-17), give sight to the blind (John 9:1-12), open the ears of the deaf (Mark 7:31-37), and raise the dead (Luke 8:40-56). The Bible states emphatically that there is nothing impossible for our God. He is the strength in our weakness. He is the deliverer of our souls. We already have eternity. We have Jesus. What good thing could He possibly withhold from us?

  If that’s the case, why do we need to wait for these great things to manifest themselves sometimes? And I’m talking a big delay in some cases. More often than not, it has to do with the emotional maturity that only time can bring. He is building character in you, perseverance, and it’s the perfect opportunity to draw nearer to Him, to really get to know Him, to spend time simply breathing God.

  The Bible says that if we ask according to His will, He will deny us no good thing. The key is getting on board with God’s plan for our lives. Once God’s will for our lives becomes our will, there is nothing for Him to deny. It was all laid out for you from the beginning. And it is truly yours to have.

  But our flesh screams what about what I want? Doesn’t He care about what I want out of this life, too? I mean, I’m here, right? Don’t I get a say in it?

  Yes! You sure do. In fact, the Bible says so, too. Proverbs 10:24 reads: “What the wicked dread will overtake them; what the righteous desires will be granted.” (NIV) If you think it sounds like a warning with a blessing attached to those who obey Him, you’re absolutely right. We want our hearts to be right with God. We want to fully obey and have His full favor on our lives.

  If you’ve made a mistake, and brought about the mess of your own making, it’s hard to believe that you could ever be in good standing with Him again, but our God is a God of U-turns. He is the God of second chances, one hundred second chances, and two thousand second chances.

  You have an unlimited supply of mercy so long as you are wholeheartedly repentant and do your best to obey His word. God was never out to get you, nor ever going to forget you. He penned his love story to you personally in His Son’s blood. Not a lot of people would sacrifice their only precious son in hopes others would someday accept the atonement for sin and follow him. That’s an incomprehensible amount of passionate love. And once you accept Christ as your Savior, you are ushered into the throne of grace. You don’t need a veil, another human being, nor another sacrifice to speak boldly at the throne as you boldly bring your needs and your worship to your heavenly Father.

  You are loved. You are wanted. You are the child of the King. He will do anything for you. He has already died for you. What’s a miracle or two? He is all about lavishing us with His love. In John 15:16, Jesus says, “You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit—fruit that will last—and so whatever you ask in My name the Father will give you.” (NIV)

  And again in John 16:23, Jesus says, “In that day you will no longer ask me anything. Very truly I tell you, my Father will give you whatever you ask in my name.” (NIV) The key is it must be God’s will.

  God will not withhold any good thing, but since He has the bird’s-eye view of our lives, we need to trust that He ultimately knows best.

  Building Intimacy

  Building intimacy with anyone is built upon how well you know them. How can we know the Lord better? By delving into His word, seeing what the Bible says about His character, learning about the things He desires from us, and learning about His ways. He loves us so deeply, and His word exemplifies that. By digging into His word, you not only glean more about His heart, His desires, His ways, but about miraculous ways He set about to ensure you’ll be by His side for all eternity. The heart of the matter is this: intimacy with God, with Jesus, with the Holy Spirit—who lucky for us are one—is what He seeks most from us.

  But which one to pray to? How are there three? Why? Just as water is made up of three parts, so is our triune God. In Ephesians 5:20, Paul urges us to pray all things in the name of Christ. “…always giving thanks to everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (NIV) We pray through Jesus to our Father with the power of the Holy Spirit.

  Everything we say to and through Jesus, our Father hears. There are no saints, no sinners, no other deities we pray to. Period. The Bible is firm in that and so should we be. Praying is simply a fancy term for talking to God. That’s it. We’re talking to Him—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, all in one. Whether we’re petitioning Him for something, interceding for our friends and family, or simply shooting the breeze (which is totally acceptable), the Lord loves to have us digging in deep with Him, setting down roots, and spending time at His beautiful feet. There is no time wasted in simply communing with
God. He wants us to. He hungers for us to come to Him with all things. He has opened His throne room to receive you, so don’t be afraid to set up shop at the altar and pour out your heart, pour out your praise and worship, pour out your entire being like spilling water. Do it twenty-four hours a day if you like. He is as accessible as your next breath. He is as close as your heart. He is always, always with you. Yes, He loves you that much. Philippians 4:6-7 reads: “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” (NIV)

  I love that it starts off with the words don’t be anxious for anything, but in every situation—every, every situation bring it to God. He is taking care of us just the way a loving father would because He is one.

  Which brings me to another important point. Have you noticed that the world has a way of interjecting any and everything in your way while you’re on your way to church on Sunday? Or maybe it’s the few minutes in the morning you steal to spend time with Him that get hijacked by just about every catastrophe under the sun? Yeah, that’s actually a thing. You see, when the enemy sees you getting closer to the Lord, he’ll do any and everything to thwart your efforts. Nothing frightens the enemy more than a determined, repentant human bent on obeying the Living God. Why? Because it means you’re on the right path. It means you are a serious believer who wants to glean more from God’s word, who wants to expunge every drop from it and apply it to your new life. It means there is nothing more important to you than Christ—you are laser focused on Jesus. The enemy loves to see us thrown off course. He loves a life wasted, a life that abandons all righteousness. All of those things usher chaos into our lives faster than you can say kitchen fire of the soul. God is not the God of chaos but of peace (1 Corinthians 14:33).