The God of Hope!

“He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.” – Isaiah 40:29-31 NIV

Our God is God of hope. This is because just like Isaiah 40:29 has stated, “He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak.” This verse is same as what Isaiah 40:31 declares: “Those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength.” Nevertheless, the “strength” is not talking about physical one, but the spiritual one. The spiritual strength comes from the Holy Spirit.

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 Spirit. (Romans 15:13)

He [Jesus Christ] said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong. I can do all things through him who strengthens me. (2 Corinthians 12:9-10, Philippians 4:13)

Therefore, since Jesus says, “…The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak," we should keep that Spirit, and do everything with perseverance for the glory (Colossians 3:4, 1 Corinthians 10:31) and the kingdom of the God (Matthew 7:21) in full-devotion. This is because we are His followers, for the word of God states:

Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross, and follow me. If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake, you will save it. And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul? Is anything worth more than your soul? For the Son of Man will come with his angels in the glory of his Father and will judge all people according to their deeds." (Matthew 16:24-27)

Whoever sows to please their flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction; whoever sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers. (Galatians 6:8-10)

To be honest, I am like a young man who stumble and fall, but what I have is the hope in God. To be specific, my spiritual strength is like being renewed each time I write my devotional. This is because even though I find writing devotional each day difficult for me, due to weariness, but I still am willing to write it every day, for it’s my passion to influence others spiritually. However, I repent before the Lord every day for looking at my current circumstances rather than the glory (Colossians 3:4) and the kingdom of God (Matthew 7:21) This is because I know that my current gift from God is devotional-writing, since the Holy Spirit empowers me to do this. Therefore, since Jesus stated: “…The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak," I need to be content with time-management to be fully-devoted in writing. For this reason, my meditation would be Philippians 4:13, which says, “I can do all things through him who strengthens me.”