Daily Devotion, December 14, 2022

 

Devotion:

Read Romans 5:5.

This verse connects us back to where we started in Advent, with hope. It is fueled by God’s love, which shines through any and all darkness of this world.

God is faithful. God is faithful and the Apostle Paul is declaring the past event has made possible the present result and the future promise. The past event is God initiating the gift of justification through our Lord Jesus Christ. And the present result is we have peace with God. And the future promise is that we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God.

This life of peace in and through God’s faithfulness allows us to not only rejoice in the glory of God, but also to rejoice and have hope in our times of suffering. God’s love, grace and transforming power are still at work to bring about perseverance, character and hope in our lives, even in the midst of difficult times.

“I Heard The Bells On Christmas Day” was written by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow on December 25, 1863. Longfellow had experienced much suffering in his lifetime. During the year of writing these words, his son had been wounded in the Civil War. Many of his neighbors and friends had also had sons wounded or killed in the war. He asked his friends and God, “Where is the peace?” In the stanzas of his poem, he wrestled with this question, but as he continued to listen to the Christmas bells from the churchs’ towers, he confidently wrote, “God is not dead nor doth He sleep. The wrong shall fail, the right prevail, with peace on earth, goodwill to men.”

God is faithful. During this season, you might be going through suffering, sorrows, sadness, grief, guilt, pressures of time and resources, or conflicts and divisions, and your hope may be weak. But you can be confident. God is faithful and hears each of your prayers and will walk with you through it all.

Personal Worship Option:

Dear God, thank you for the gift of peace through our Lord Jesus Christ. Help us to be faithful unto You and receive this gift afresh and anew. Let Your transforming work of love and peace help us to rejoice in times of Your glory and be confident in hope during times of suffering. Because Your love is being poured into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, we will keep Your hope shining and offer Your hope to others. Amen.