Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of realities not seen. —Hebrews 11:1
Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and shalom in trusting, so you may overflow with hope in the power of the Ruach ha-Kodesh (Holy Spirit). —Romans 15:13
Stop for a moment and think. What are you hoping to be delivered from at this time? It might be something specific, like global pandemic. It might be something more abstract but every bit as real and pervasive, like fear. The book of Exodus has so much to show us about hope amid whatever we are going through and asking deliverance from. The God who delivered the children of Israel and empowered His servant and friend Moses is the same God Who has hope for us today.
Starting tomorrow, journey with us over the next seven days as we explore the theme of Hope that Delivers: Thoughts from Exodus. May these short devotionals and Scriptures stir your hope and build your faith. May we receive a fresh awareness of the goodness of God and place our hope in Him anew.
For the past nine weeks, as the coronavirus upended the world with fear, stay-at-home mandates, financial loss and isolation, we’ve turned to Scripture for the hope we each need to endure rough times.
Ancient Israel had a hope: to return to the Land God had promised to give her. Yet, she had been in exile in Babylon for so long that I’m sure the hope of many began to wane, if not completely disappear.
Our God is the Master Composer. The intricacies He has purposefully arranged on His grand scale of time are often indistinguishable to the human ear, unless we strain to hear. As we journey through the story of Ezra-Nehemiah in the days ahead, listen in for a pattern, a 3-part harmony, as God composes another movement in His song through the mouths of His prophets. See if you can make out the sounds.
The words God gave to His prophets often told about events in the current time, near future and a time even further in the future. They are always pointing us forward, but what were they pointing us forward to?
