Monday 5th January

Quiet your heart and mind. Consider breathing deeply and exhale slowly. Focus your mind on God.

“Let us come before him with thanksgiving and extol him with music and song..."

Psalm 95:2

Ponder: List 5 things about God that you are thankful for. Sit quietly and share your thanks to Him.

Scripture

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Romans 15:13

First, listen for what this prayer says to you. Insert your name and imagine someone is praying this for you. Read the verses again slowly. What message do you hear?

Pray with an abundance Of hope

In 2018, my in-laws entered the care-taking season of their lives, beginning with permanently welcoming a parent into their home. In preparation for this bittersweet chapter, my mother-in-law matched each bedroom with a biblical name for God. Names like Jehovah Rohi, El Shaddai, Jehovah Jirah now mount the door frames. The cohesive design of each room mirrors the name and engulfs occupants with a distinct impression of God’s character, often producing an acute desire to learn more about that aspect of God. One of these names is Miqweh Yisrael or “The God of hope."

Why is he called the God of hope? In Romans 15:13, Paul uses this title to point out that we can hope in God because he makes promises and he keeps them (Ro. 15:8). You know that feeling of security when you can trust someone to do what they say? When you know a fellow laborer for Christ wouldn’t dream of letting you down unless the world was literally at an end? Paul’s prayer is marked with an abundance of hope because he knew something we tend to forget: God always keeps his promises.

As you pray today, call upon God’s promises and abound in hope; he will keep them. Begin here: Matthew 11:28-29, 2 Corinthians 12:9, Isaiah 40:31, and Romans 8:28. Build your life on these promises and experience renewed joy and peace in Christ.

Baylor May, Development Manager at the Christian International School of Prague (CISP), Czech Republic

Now ask God who you can pray this prayer for. Insert their name(s) as you pray.

Kids’ Question: How has God kept a promise to you?