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     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 SpiritRom. 15:13 (NIV)

Heavenly Father, meditating on this verse today is like standing under a gentle shower of grace, after drought-like conditions; or like waking up on a cool morning in the Montana mountains after a month of breath-sucking heat; or like a panoramic train ride through Switzerland, in which every scene seems to top the last. Such is the wonder of your Word, the sweetness of the gospel, and the power of hope.

Nothing or no one has to change for your Spirit to bring us hope into the depths of our hearts, the messiness of our stories, and the crazy-making of our circumstances. This isn’t hype, but hope; not spiritual spin, but gospel sanity.

Whether it’s the poor choices of a dear friend or the fake news of social media; the heartache of church messes or the transitions of the aging process; a canceled flight or a misplaced treasure; the vacation that didn’t happen or the car accident that did; the job our child didn’t get or the flu we did; the cancer that came back or the prodigal that hasn’t yet… you are still God, still in control, and still loving us. You’ve given us more than sufficient reasons to have hope—even to overflow with hope.

We are your beloved children—with a forgiven past, a graced present, and a guaranteed future. You’re not an absentee landlord, but an engaged Father. We don’t have to like your timing, understand your ways, or pretend about anything; but we cannot help but love and adore your Son. Father, may your peace rule in our hearts as we wait for the sure-and-certain fulfillment of our hope. So very Amen we pray, in Jesus’ wonderful and merciful name.

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