Scripture- “I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people, and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is the same as the mighty strength he exerted when he raised Christ from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every name that is invoked, not only in the present age but also in the one to come.”- Ephesians 1:18-21
Insight: This life can be exhausting and extremely hard right now. It can all feel so hopeless if we don’t know where to turn in order to find true hope that can rescue us. The world is filled with pain on so many levels. When I just listen to a few of my friends describe what the last few years have been like for them, it is truly heart-breaking. Some of the words they use to describe their situations include: depression, loneliness, despair, betrayal, divorce, illness, fear, brokenness, unmet expectations, exhaustion, confusion, heartache, heartbreak, apathy, anger, hopelessness, sadness, distraction, and many others. Just reading that list is hard, but living it is way harder. It breaks my heart because these things are real, these emotions are real and the consequences of them are real as well. All I can do is listen, and be compassionate, and if they are willing, I can try to lead them to the One and only One who can help give them true hope and that is Jesus. Jesus alone can break the chains that imprison us, and repel the forces of evil that are active in the world today. Everything else is a temporary fix or it lacks the power that is needed to truly turn a soul around from the pits of despair to a joyful hope that is above any circumstances that we may encounter.
I tell people I can relate because until I encountered Jesus at age 37, I was living many of these same adjectives. I was alive but I was barely living. My whole life was a game of survival from day to day, and sometimes it felt like minute to minute. But when I sought Jesus, He showed up, and one thing He taught me was to really sink deep into the truths that are found in scripture and to cling to them. There are few verses that I cling to more than the hope and power that is found in Ephesians 1:18-21, which says “I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people, and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is the same as the mighty strength he exerted when he raised Christ from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every name that is invoked, not only in the present age but also in the one to come.”- Ephesians 1:18-21 Please read it again slowly and let it truly sink in, These promises are life changing if you truly believe them. Look at what it says- we have a glorious hope through our inheritance into His Eternal Kingdom and in the meantime we have the “same power in us that God used to raise Christ from the grave,” because His Holy Spirit is alive in us! That is amazing. There are no circumstances in our life that are too big, or too small, for our God, “He is above all things and He holds all things together,” according to Colossians 1:17, including and especially us, because irrespective of our past, or our past mistakes, we are His prized possession, according to 1 Peter 2:9. Just look at how these few scriptures fill us with hope and joy.
So yes these times are very hard and perilous on earth right now, but Scripture is the antidote that we need to turn our crying into laughter and our pain and fear into joy and hope. God’s word is powerful, it is the greatest treasure we have free access to, but we need to open it, read it, meditate on it, pray on it, and believe in it or it is of no use. It is the only solution for all the problems we are facing because Jesus is the only One who can solve them for us. He promises us rest for those of us who are “weary and heavy burdened,” in Matthew 11:28-30 but the first step is we must come to Him. So, don’t wait any longer. Bring it all to Christ Jesus and let Him begin to heal you from the inside out. He alone can lead us from the darkness into His glorious light!
Prayer: Jesus, You alone are the answer to all the problems and discouragement we are facing in these most difficult of days. Let us turn to You and Your Word found in the Bible to restore the joy of our salvation. In Your humble yet powerful name we pray. Amen!
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