Stress Turns To Hope
While my friend and her Christian housemates were stressed, they also had the assurance that God was with them
Reference: v.8 I heard, but I did not understand. So I asked, “My lord, what will the outcome of all this be?” (TNIV Bible)
Explore: A friend of mine recently had to move out of her house. She lived in a share home with three others, two of whom were Christians and another who didn’t believe. They were all planning on moving together, however, through unforeseen circumstances, the house they were going to move into fell through. They had a very stressful four weeks and they spent every weekend looking through potential rental properties, and hurriedly applying for any that were suitable. While my friend and her Christian housemates were stressed, they also had the assurance that God was with them and everything would work out for the best. Their other housemate, however, was extremely stressed, as she did not have the hope in her future as the others did. It really highlighted to my friend the peace that God can give to us when our future is uncertain.
Application: Daniel had been through a considerable life journey. He was forced to live in a foreign land, work for the rulers who had decimated his nation, and stand up for his faith when he was clearly in the minority. The Lord had come through in some really significant ways to show Daniel that He was there with him, and yet Daniel still considered, ‘What will the outcome of all this be?’ God assured him that everything would turn out as it should. We can often get concerned with our future and not know how things will work out. But just as God cared for Daniel, and just as he cared about a house for my friend, so too does He care about your future. The stronger our faith, the more hope we have that God is there for us in the future.
Prayer: Lord, may our hope be firmly in Your hands. Amen.
What are you stressing about? What is it that you are hoping for?
This article was written by Linda Bailey
Linda started theological studies in 1999 in Australia. After working for ten years in various church ministries, she now works as the breakfast producer at 89.9 LightFM - the Christian radio station in Melbourne, Australia. She writes blogs every day about passages she is currently reading in the Bible. Follow her on Google Plus +Linda Bailey or Facebook by clicking the like button on the right of this page.
1 comment:
This writing of yours is right on time. I to am somewhat stressed. There is so much going on in my life right now that I to am asking God where and how will this all end. The ironic thing about this is that I am a Christian (fighting some spiritual wars) and it seems like I just cannot come out on top. Your words are encouraging and I know that I must keep the faith. Thank you so very much for sharing!