In Oklahoma, we know stormy weather. Our storms go way beyond reading by the fire weather. We see trees fall, power outages, flooding, and loss.
And many of us are facing a storm right now – it might be literal, spiritual, or both. But, unfortunately, facing storms over and over can dim out light.
In storm season, it is tough to see or be the light. As a result, our hope can slowly slip away. And when that happens, we start to expect or accept disappointment.
Have you started to expect the worst?
This reminds me of a quote from Spider-Man’s girlfriend, AJ, in one of the most recent Spider-Man movies. She says, “If you expect disappointment, then you can never really get disappointed.”
Side note, Spider-Man is one of my favorite Marvel movies. I’ve seen all of them, and the first movie of a series is always the best, although spider-man movies never seem to fail me.
Consciously or unconsciously, many of us have taken up Aj’s saying in our lives. We have lost hope that anything good can come from our lives, situations, family, or this world.
We have lost the confident expectation we once had in God or are now starting to doubt His promises.
Today I want to tell you:
DON’T LOSE HOPE!
DON’T BELIEVE THE WORST!
Yes, it storms, but there is always light. Even on a cloudy day, we can see a rainbow. And Genesis 9:12-17 says the rainbow signifies God’s promise to man.
God created rain. When we focus on HIS promises, we start to see God’s wonder, power, glory, and greatness, even on dark days.
We even begin to feel like something good comes out of a storm.
When we cannot see the sun amongst the clouds, we know that is right on the other side.
Even in the natural, the rain waters the ground and helps create new life in our soil.
Hold onto hope!
Be confident in the expectation of God’s goodness and faithfulness, even when it looks covered up by the clouds.
Have confidence in God’s promises, steadfast love, ability to do the impossible, and that He is faithful to those who love Him.
Know that God is with you in the rain, and good will come.
We all face suffering, disappointment, and grief, but our hope in God is what remains. So lift your eyes to the light!
Romans 5:3-5 tells us to rejoice when we encounter problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation. And this hope will not lead to disappointment.
For we know how dearly God loves us because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love.
Our hope, our promise, our future, is Jesus.
