Holding to the God of Hope

Happiness, peace, hope. All feel pretty hard to come by these days. Life brings up concern for tomorrow, fear for today, grief from the last twenty years of yesterdays.

And even our youngest children will pick up on the stress and the sorrow felt in our family. They are watching us to learn how to handle it.

They are also giving us a picture of what to do. Just as our children turn to us, cry to us, and are comforted by us, so we can look to our Heavenly Father and find he opens his arms to us. We need to turn to him, cry to him, be comforted by him—trust that he will handle what we cannot.

I pray that God, who gives hope, will bless you with complete happiness and peace because of your faith. And may the power of the Holy Spirit fill you with hope.

Romans 15:13

It’s hard to know what to do when the world seems like it’s falling apart. But we can trust him when we cannot control the world. And we can teach our children how to trust also. The social media and news feeds will only feed you more despair. Feed your soul, and your children’s souls, with the Lord’s life-giving words.

Happiness, peace, hope. It is supernatural to have them in times like these. You can receive them today as miraculous gifts by staying close to your Abba-Daddy and holding his hand.

PRAY

Lord, I face again my inability to make all things right. I need you. I look to you for miracles, peace, and hope. Please hold me and my family close in your arms. Amen.

TIME TO TALK

Conversation starter for kids: Provides you with questions and prompts to facilitate a time of applicable discussion with children to lead them towards knowing God and His Word more deeply.

Question(s): When you think about God, what gives you hope? Is it his love? His power? His justice?

Apply: In hard times, double-down on time with God in prayer and in reading his Word. Look for ways to add more Scripture to your family’s day. We’re never too old to read a Psalm together before bed. Listen to it during car rides. Text it to each other during the day. Have a family competition to see who can memorize a verse fastest.

KEEP IT GOING

Related passages: These additional verses will help parents expand Scriptural knowledge and place on the armor of God’s Word to tackle each day. Swipe to read the passages today.

Psalm 42:5

Romans 12:12

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This devotional was written by Tonia Gutting for the Hero Squad Program of the American Bible Society. Hero Squad provides complimentary faith-based resources to strengthen and encourage Military families through God’s Word. For more information or to enroll your Military family, check out our website.www.myherosquad.org.