Unsinkable Hope: God’s Promises and Your Mental Health预览

In a world where the prosperity teaching is popular, it’s important to remember the rainbow.

The rainbow is one of the iconic images we associate with Noah's story. But we often misunderstand the rainbow's purpose in Genesis 9.

We tend to think God created the rainbow as a tool to help us remember His promise. But if you read the text carefully, God didn't make the rainbow for us. He says, "I have set my bow in the cloud, and...when I bring clouds over the earth and the bow is seen in the clouds, I will remember my covenant."

God created the rainbow so that when He sees it, He will remember what He promised to us and hold fast to that covenant.

This covenant God made with Noah — that we still live under today — is about God's faithfulness, not ours. God will be faithful even when we are not. After Noah's death, did people live perfect, holy, and righteous lives? No. So why doesn't God destroy the earth with a flood again? Because He's faithful, not because we are.

Our hope is in God's character, not our consistency.

The storms I've been through have humbled me. After all, if you go through a storm and you're not humbled on the other side, you're doing it wrong. Over the past twenty years, my wife and I have endured many storms.

• Facing $200,000+ in debt (without a mortgage) as newlyweds
• Nearly losing our twins 17 weeks into pregnancy, followed by 18 weeks of bed rest for my wife
• My nightly panic attacks for three weeks during a significant move for our family

No matter which storms God has allowed in my life, each one humbled me, bringing me to my knees in prayer and surrender.

Storms reveal that we are flawed and imperfect. We are not in control and far more vulnerable and dependent on God than we realize. I believe God allows storms in our lives to humble us and remind us how He wants us to live in relationship to Him.

In 2 Corinthians 4, Paul writes: "We don't preach about ourselves. We preach that Jesus Christ is Lord, and we ourselves are your servants for Jesus' sake... We now have this light shining in our hearts, but we ourselves are like fragile clay jars containing this great treasure. This makes it clear that our great power is from God, not from ourselves."

Paul lists the many adversities he and the believers were facing, concluding that adversity redirects their hope to Jesus. That's the unsinkable hope amid your storm — not yourself, your consistency, nor your character, but God's.

You and I are fragile jars of clay that God has chosen to use to display His light to the world. In the darkest storms, things will get challenging and complicated. We may struggle and stumble, but our hope is not in ourselves. Our hope is in God, that He will sustain us even in adversity.

Prayer

Father, thank You that my hope doesn't depend on my consistency but on Your unchanging character. When I look at the rainbow, remind me that You are faithfully keeping Your promises, not because I've earned it, but because that's who You are. Thank you for humbling me through life's storms so I can see my need for You more clearly. I praise You for being my unsinkable hope in every adversity. Amen.

Today's Reflection

In what area of your life are you trying to be the hero rather than letting God be the hero? How might recognizing your dependence on God's character rather than your ability to control things change your approach to current challenges?