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
The
Reverend Ben Patterson once said, “Hope delivers us from the despair that
nothing we do matters, and enables us to tackle even the most menial job with
vigour.” He goes on to share an illustration from World War ll.
A B-17
bomber flying over Germany during the latter days of the war was hit several
times by flak and shells, even taking direct hits on its fuel tank.
Miraculously, the bomber did not explode. When it finally landed, several of
the crew investigated the unexploded shells lodged in the aircraft’s fuselage.
Dismantling the shells they were amazed to discover that they were empty. That
is, except for a note written in Czech, which read, “This is all we can do for
you now.” Those men and who knows how many others owed their lives to a member
of the Czech underground, quietly working day after day at an assembly line –
hoping his efforts would make a difference.
It’s
easy to get discouraged when you feel like your best years are behind you. But
the truth is that as a believer, your best opportunities are always now.
You
carry a hope inside you that the God who saved you will never forsake you. You
are forever relevant to Him. And that means what you do right now for His
Kingdom matters immensely.
Prayer
Challenge:
Ask God
to fill you with hope, and pray that out of that hope you’ll be empowered to
serve Him.
Questions
for Thought:
What
are some hopes you have for how your life could impact others?
How
could you act on those hopes today to make a real difference in people’s lives?