Dashed Hope
Thursday June 29, 2017
When we hit bottom in our addiction and finally admitted that without help our future hopes were dashed, we decided to turn our will and our life over to the care of God. Initially we were grateful to hear and respond to God’s invitation to life. However, a few weeks or months into the recovery journey, one of the trials we face is the doubt that we could actually have a good life.
“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. (Jeremiah 29:11 NIV)
The battle against addiction, struggles with poverty, and related issues seem endless. We hardly know how to handle things on a good day, let alone deal with these frustrations on a bad day. Hope dwindles. We get discouraged and tempted to give up. It seems easier to hide away from life in front of the television or just pass the time with friends.
We need to challenge ourselves in the middle of these circumstances. What is amiss within us that has caused us to be in this negative space? Perhaps we are again looking to people, places, and things to satisfy us when only God’s tender love will keep us contented over time. Are we taking time to notice the gifts that surround us even though they may look different from what we expected? Are we trusting God to work things out in His time?
Stay with God! Take heart. Don’t quit. I’ll say it again: Stay with God. There has never been the slightest doubt in my mind that the God who started this great work in you would keep at it and bring it to a flourishing finish on the very day Christ Jesus appears. (Psalm 27:14; Philippians 1:6 MSG)
It’s time to simplify our thoughts once again and remember: God is good. God is with us. Our hope is in God alone. God is making a way where there seems to be no way.
Prayer: Gracious God, Forgive me when I take my eyes off you and look at my circumstances. My hope is not dashed for in Your light, I see light and life. Thank you for caring for me. AMEN
©2017 Partners in Hope
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