Abiding, dwelling on God’s Word along with prayer and reflection develops into an unshakable hope. If I’m not in His word, I can slide down a slippery slope into great disappointment and discouragement. Anticipating how God will show me His kingdom work is far better than looking for the negative news report. Living for hope is far more rewarding than joining the band wagon for how our culture is deteriorating. Perhaps instead of thing how everything is falling apart, everything is falling into place.
“We must live by faith and not by sight. An elderly lady fell and broke her leg while attending a summer Bible conference. She said to the pastor who visited her, “I know the Lord led me to the conference. But I don’t see why this had to happen! And I don’t see any good coming from it.” Wisely, the pastor replied, “Romans 8:28 doesn’t say that we see all things working together for good. It says that we know it.” Faith means surrendering all to God and obeying His Word in spite of circumstances and consequences. Love and faith go together: When you love someone, you trust him. And faith and love together help to strengthen hope, for where you find faith and love, you will find confidence for the future. How can we grow in faith during times of testing and suffering? The same way we grow in faith when things seem to be going well: by feeding on the Word of God (Rom. 10:17). Our fellowship with Christ through His Word not only strengthens our faith, but it also deepens our love. It is a basic principle of Christian living that we spend much time in the Word when God is testing us and Satan is tempting us.” - Warren W. Wiersbe, Be Hopeful
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