“Never lose hope? . . . be fainthearted? . . . feel overwhelmed? Never get sucked into the sewer of despair? Can you imagine? No day lost to anguish? No decision driven by fear? This is God’s will for you and me. He want us to ‘abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit’ (Romans 15:13 NKJV).”- Max Lucado
“We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inners sanctuary behind the curtain, where our forerunner, Jesus, has entered on our behalf.”- Hebrews 6:19-20
In Chapter 14 (“Unbreakable Promises, Unshakable Hope”), the final chapter of Unshakable Hope, Max Lucado asserts that you need a good anchor to weather a blast of bad weather. Because you have a valuable vessel- a soul! And, because of your soul, you:
- wonder why you are here
- wonder where you are going
- wrestle with right and wrong
- value the lives of others
Hence, you need a hooking point, an anchor that’s sturdier than your storm. As a result of your Anchor, death, failure, betrayal, sickness, and disappointment cannot take your hope. For the cannot take your Jesus.
Certainly, tragedy produces horrible results. But in the midst of the storm, we can find hope. An unshakable hope. While we won’t find easy answers, we’ll find the Answer. Therefore, we deliberately decide to build our lives on God’s promises rather than standing on the problems of life.
In conclusion, Pastor Lucado observes, the winds still blow and the rain still falls. However, in the end, you’ll be standing with unshakable hope on the unbreakable promises of God.
Today’s question: What Bible verses help you abound in hope through the power of the Holy Spirit? Please share.
Tomorrow’s blog: “God’s gifts sparing us from self-inflicted sadness, heartbreak”
Special note: the annotated bibliography of Unshakable Hope posts on 10/29