Unsinkable Hope: God’s Promises and Your Mental Healthنموونە

Completely exhausted.

That’s how I felt in the first few days after my oldest son was born. As a new dad, I was totally and completely naive. I expected the most challenging time would be supporting my wife through pregnancy and delivery. But that wasn’t the storm's end - it was only the beginning.

We ended up at Chick-fil-A restaurant on our first date night after having our son. In that short window between sitting down and getting our food, my wife and I put our heads on the windowsill next to our booth and nearly fell asleep. We were exhausted!

That was one of many times I found myself in the middle of a storm, wondering when it would end. So often when we're coming to the end of a challenging season, there's this feeling of "Get me out of here!" Graduates are familiar with this feeling as they face “senioritis,” a decline in motivation as they approach the finish line.

You may have experienced what I call "storm-itis" — an affliction characterized by a decline in motivation, an increase in restlessness, and a sense of disconnection. Far too often, we expect that following Jesus will include minimal difficulty and maximum prosperity. This is why many Christians embrace the concept of a prosperity gospel, where we expect God to make us healthy, wealthy, and happy.

When things become difficult - think sickness, poverty, or depression - we wonder what we did wrong and if God still loves us.

That's where Noah was in the final part of his storm, which we'll study over the next few days. This study will reveal a profound truth: God does not promise us constant prosperity. God offers us unsinkable hope in adversity.

The Bible doesn't offer us a prosperity gospel. If anything, it provides an adversity gospel that speaks to how we navigate life's inevitable challenges with God's help.

Prayer

Lord, I've often expected life with You to be smooth sailing, but Your Word shows a different story. Help me reset my expectations today. Rather than anticipating constant prosperity, teach me to look for Your presence in adversity. Thank You that my hope in You remains unsinkable, even in life's storms. Amen.

Today's Reflection

When have you expected a storm in your life to end, only to discover it was just beginning? How did that expectation gap affect your faith?