Verse from Acts

While Paul was waiting for them in Athens, he was greatly distressed to see that the city was full of idols.

Paul then stood up in the meeting of the Areopagus and said: “People of Athens! I see that in every way you are very religious. For as I walked around and looked carefully at your objects of worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: TO AN UNKNOWN GOD. So you are ignorant of the very thing you worship—and this is what I am going to proclaim to you. (‭Acts‬ ‭17‬:‭16, 22-23‬)

While we can’t always control the things of life that impact our day, we do have a choice. We can continue to brood over the “mess we are in,” or we can change our perspective. When Paul was in Athens, “he was greatly distressed to see that the city was full of idols” (Acts 17:16 niv). But when he changed his perspective, he used their interest in religion as an opportunity to proclaim the true God, Jesus Christ (vv.22-23).

Wisdom is seeing things from God’s perspective.

Verse from Job

[Job said,] “The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised.” Job 1:21

The world watched the news in horror as the sightseeing helicopter flying over the river tore into pieces. As the main rotor and tail broke off, the cabin plunged into the waters below, with the pilot and a family of five trapped inside. Just days after the tragedy that had taken the lives of his sister, brother-in-law, niece, and two nephews, the brother was at the site honoring his loved ones. “They left together,” he said.

Life can change in a moment, leaving us reeling from loss we can’t explain. Job also suffered unspeakable loss and sorrow. One tragic day, messengers told Job that his servants had been killed and his livestock were stolen or dead (Job 1:13-17). Then Job received even more devastating news. While his seven sons and three daughters were together, a mighty wind caused the house they were in to collapse, killing them (vv. 18-19). “At this, Job got up and tore his robe and shaved his head. Then he fell to the ground in worship” (v. 20). In anguish, Job said, “The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised” (v. 21).

Job didn’t know why he had to suffer, but even in his darkest hour he worshiped God. Breaking His silence, God reminded Job of His great wisdom and power, and he was able to trust God’s sovereign plan (chs. 38-42).

We may never understand why tragedies strike, but we can take our pain to God, who comforts us.

Verse from Acts

He . . . heard a voice say to him, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?” Acts 9:4

Before his conversion, Saul persecuted Jesus’ disciples (Acts 9:1-2). Yet, when Christ appeared to him, He said, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?” (v. 4). Jesus identifies so closely with His people that to harm or bless them is to harm or bless the Lord Himself.

As Saul discovered, Jesus pushes out hatred by offering transforming forgiveness (9:17-20).

Verse from Hebrews

“Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.”

‭‭Hebrews‬ ‭11:1‬ ‭

In January 1915, the ship Endurance was trapped and crushed in the ice off the coast of Antarctica. The group of polar explorers, led by Ernest Shackleton, survived and managed to reach Elephant Island in three small lifeboats. Trapped on this uninhabited island, far from normal shipping lanes, they had one hope. On April 24, 1916, 22 men watched as Shackleton and five comrades set out in a tiny lifeboat for South Georgia, an island 800 miles away. The odds seemed impossible, and if they failed, they would all certainly die. What joy, then, when more than four months later a boat appeared on the horizon with Shackleton on its bow shouting, “Are you all well?” And the call came back, “All safe! All well!”

What held those men together and kept them alive over those months? Faith and hope placed in one man. They believed that Shackleton would find a way to save them.

This human example of faith and hope echoes the faith of the heroes listed in Hebrews 11. Their faith in the “substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen” kept them going through great difficulties and trials (Heb. 11:1 nkjv).

As we look out upon the horizon of our own problems, may we not despair. May we have hope through the certainty of our faith in the One Man—Jesus, our God and Savior.

Verse from Psalm

Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord. (Psalm 27:14)

Oswald Chambers saw a strong connection between our desire for the immediate and lust: “Lust simply means, ‘I must have this at once’; it may be a bodily appetite or a spiritual possession. . . . I cannot wait for God’s time, God is too indifferent; that is the way lust works.”

We live in a world that worships the immediate.

The answer to our craving for the immediate is to focus on the eternal and wait for His answer.

Verse from Jonah

The Lord replied, “Is it right for you to be angry?” Jonah 4:4

Jonah had warned the Ninevites of God’s judgment for their sin (3:1-4). Strangely, however, when they repented and God “did not bring on them the destruction he had threatened” (v. 10), “this seemed very wrong” to Jonah “and he became angry” (4:1). He believed that the cruel enemies of Israel had gotten off easily (vv. 1-3) and deserved punishment.

But God corrected Jonah, pointing out his lack of compassion for the Ninevites, who had no true spiritual understanding (vv. 5-11). God, “gracious and compassionate . . . slow to anger and abounding in love” (v. 2), cares about the welfare of all people, no matter what they’ve done. Let’s extend God’s compassion to others too—helping them to know and love Him.

Verse from Romans

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him. Romans 15:13

Paul understood that God is the Someone beyond the chaos. When the apostle wrote of “the God of hope” (Romans 15:13), he wanted Roman believers in Jesus to understand that God was both the source and object of their hope. Paul reminds us that true hope isn’t merely wishful thinking or fleeting optimism; it’s anchored in God’s character and faithfulness. And He instills confidence in us through His promises. He’s also the one who provides “endurance and encouragement” (v. 5) through the power of His Holy Spirit. This hope endures despite circumstances, filling us with joy and peace as we recognize God has accepted us in Christ (v. 7).

If you’re searching for hope, direct your heart toward God. As you trust in His promises and embrace His faithfulness, you can have eternal hope found in Him alone.