Experiencing God's Presence #111

We confidently and joyfully look forward to sharing God’s glory. . . . And this hope will not lead to disappointment.

Romans 5:2, 5

We are reluctant to admit it, but many of us hope for good from God while expecting disappointment. We would love to encounter Him, but we suspect the encounters may come in the guise of suffering—as though the only way we grow closer to Him is through pain and trials. We aren’t sure we want to seek Him fully because we are afraid of the cost. Yet God calls us into an experience with Him with the promise that His Presence will bring us joy. Our expectations don’t line up with His promise. And we have to decide which we believe.

Hope believes the best about God—that He doesn’t just put us through trials but that He plans pleasures and joys for us too. He uses the difficulties in our lives, to be sure, but He doesn’t sadistically arrange them. He desires to bless. That’s His nature. When we hope in Him, we are acknowledging who He is.

Rejoice in God and mistrust any expectations that His promises will be broken, His plans will be thwarted, or His goodness will be veiled in our lives. Hope hears His heartbeat accurately and ignores any lies about His character. It’s a concrete expectation of good—not wishful thinking, not optimism, but a firm knowledge of God’s favor. And hope in Him, according to the Word, will not disappoint us. A life rooted in expectation of His goodness will always eventually be satisfied.

Lord, I place my hope in You. I trust that You are working on my behalf, no matter how difficult my circumstances become. Please fill me with hope—the kind that comes from Your Spirit and cannot disappoint. And help me live in that hope today.

From the book