Life is hard. I heard the line God is Good, All the time.” from the movie “God’s Not Dead.” I use it often. Have you used it? I am going to have to pay attention to when I use that line. Am I only using it when things are going smoothly? Do I use it when I am in the middle of a storm?
When we live like Jesus, we must live with the tension of accepting that life is never going to be exactly how we want it to be and yet living each day full of hope and joy. Read John 14:27. What message is he giving to His disciples about what they would encounter in life and the perspective they must hold on to? Jesus is teaching that His gift of peace transcends the problems and pain we experience in life. We have access to peace in the midst of trials and hardships.
Read Philippians 4:7. How is the peace that God provides described here? Is there a time when you’ve experienced God’s peace even though your circumstances were out of control or didn’t make sense? Ponder on it for a while. Can you think of a time where you held both hope and heartache in your life? How does accepting good and bad at the same time help us to accept the gift of peace that Jesus offers? What is the risk if we believe that we can only experience peace when life is good?
Is it important to share with others the good and bad in our lives? If so, why?
A few months ago, my 16-year-old daughter did a sermon. In her sermon, she used the song “It Is Well With My Soul.” She gave the history of that song. Do you know the history of that song? He wrote that song after his four daughters died in a shipwreck with another ship. His wife survived. In this tragedy in his life, he held on to hope.
Read Romans 8:18-25. Highlight the word hope every time you see it. What are the things that we can have hope for in the future. Since sin entered our world, we suffer. When we are saved, we are given hope. When we hope in God, we get released from sin and suffering, receive full rights as children of God, and be given new bodies.
2 Corinthians 12: 8-10. How many times did Paul pray for God to take away his “thorn in the flesh? What was God’s response? What did Paul discover about his weaknesses? How would you explain what Paul means when he says, “For when I am weak, then I am strong.”?
Embrace hope when going through hard times. It can reshape your perspective.
Dear Heavenly Father,
Thank you for giving us hope and getting us through the hard times in life.
In Jesus Name
Amen
