wait in hope

Opening Prayer: We wait in hope for the Lord; he is our help and our shield.  In him our hearts rejoice, for we trust in his holy name. (Psalm 33:20-21)

Scripture: Romans 8:18-25

Journal: What do you hope for?  How do you think those things will come about?  What does it mean to put your hope in the Lord?  How is he asking you to wait patiently?

Reflection: “But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently.” (Rom. 8:25) There is an intimate connection between hoping and waiting.  Until we fully recognize and acknowledge that the things we most deeply long for—like healing, wholeness, freedom, and peace—cannot be accomplished by our own power, gifts, and efforts, we will always be frustrated.  When we long for things that only God can bring about, our only option is to wait in hope and trust that God’s heart is good, and he will take care of us.  Unfortunately, we are not very good at waiting patiently, which means that, in most cases, our hope is in ourselves rather than in our God.  Thus, we constantly try to manufacture and produce, to fix and manipulate, rather than wait patiently.

Pray

Closing Prayer: May your unfailing love rest upon us, O Lord, even as we put our hope in you.” (Psalm 33:22)