Hope in God Who Is the Way Out, Back, Up, and Through

Years ago, off the coast of Massachusetts, a submarine rapidly sank after another ship rammed it. The entire crew was aboard. Other ships rushed to the scene.

A diver placed his helmeted ear on the vessel’s side and listened. Someone was tapping Morse code: “Is there any hope?” Are you filled with hope?

Hope rests on a sturdier foundation than a clear conscience. Your conscience is not trustworthy.

Continued involvement in sin desensitizes it. Paul had a clear conscience despite persecuting Christians (Acts 23:1).

Hope does not depend on being morally perfect. Paul appeared before the Sanhedrin. He opened with a statement about his integrity. Ananias, the chief priest, ordered Paul to be struck in the mouth. Paul then violated Exodus 22:28 by calling Ananias a hypocrite and lawbreaker.

Paul blew it. Like him, God is still working on you. Your hope is in Christ’s perfection credited to your account.

God’s words give hope. Paul was in the Roman barracks in Jerusalem when Jesus brought him a message of hope. “The following night the Lord stood near Paul and said, ‘Take courage! As you have testified about me in Jerusalem, so you must also testify in Rome’” (Romans 23:11 NIV).

God’s words bring hope to displace your fear and sense of helplessness. David found hope in God. He wrote, “My hope is in you” (Psalm 39:7 NIV). God is your hope. He is the way out, back, up, and through.

Trust in God’s intervention brings hope. How would you feel if forty people in your town took an oath to kill you before they ate or drank anything? That was Paul’s situation.

Do not count your opponents. Hezekiah did not despair even though the Assyrian king’s 185,000 soldiers greatly outnumbered his army.

Hezekiah said, “For there is a greater power with us than with him. With him is only the arm of flesh, but with us is the Lord our God to help us and to fight our battles” (2 Chronicles 32:7b-8a NIV).

How God will intervene is not predictable. His faithfulness is. Do not panic because you cannot see any way out of a situation. He keeps His promises.

God can raise allies as quickly as mushrooms on a damp night. Claudius Lysias acted quickly to ensure Paul’s safety when the Jewish leaders threatened him. He sent Paul to Caesarea with an escort of 470 soldiers.

Nothing happens to you without God’s permission. You cannot explain His ways, but you can always count on Him. Firmly ground your hope in Him. Put that seemingly unsolvable problem in His hands. He has everything under control! What is your takeaway? See additional free spiritual growth resources for Christians.   #freediscipleshipresources #freeevangelismresources #freechristianleadershipresources 

God has empowered me to write His Power for Your Weakness—260 Steps Toward Spiritual Strength. It’s a free, evangelistic, devotional, and discipleship e-book. Pastors have used it in Malawi, Mozambique, and Zambia to lead 6,714 people to Christ and teach the basics of Christianity to 15,936 people. I invite you to explore and use it in your setting.

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