Thanks to everyone who came to God’s Big, Beautiful Story! Good news! I am pulling together all of the handouts and notes used for all of the talks and even the panel to share with you. Watch for those soon!

Today’s devotion is part of the talk I gave on how studying God’s Word changes us by giving us hope. 

Back in 2012, the Christian band Tenth Avenue North released their song “Worn.” This song expresses grief and weariness but not despair; the singer, though tired, knows God can give rest. It reminds me of some of the Psalms. 

In the first verse, the singer admits: “I’ve made mistakes. I’ve let my hope fail.” That hit me hard. How many of our mistakes, I wondered, result from letting our hope fail? As Christians, we are called to live in the light of the hope Jesus gives, the hope that “our present sufferings are not worth comparing to the glory that will be revealed in us” (Romans 8:18, NIV). If we forget — or, perhaps, disregard — our hope, then we will not make choices with an eternal perspective. We will grab at whatever seems able to ease our suffering and bring us happiness now. 

In one of my favorite books, Anne of Green Gables, 11-year-old Anne asks the levelheaded Marilla if she could imagine being in the depths of despair. Marilla responds: “No, I cannot. To despair is to turn your back on God.” 

Tired and worn we may be, but to be despairing and hopeless is sin. Failing in hope? In Romans 15:13, Paul prays, “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” [emphasis mine]. Like the psalmists, the worn singer and Paul, turn to God. He will give rest. 

Your Turn: How has learning more about the Bible helped build your hope?