Hope in times like these
We are all well aware of the trauma that the recent pandemic has caused. Many people have lost their lives and families and businesses have collapsed even when they were thriving. These conditions really make you lose hope. This article will explain what we should wait on God during these times. So here we go …
I. Know that God loves you.
Here are some scriptures that will encourage you (all scriptures taken from the New King James Version Bible):
1 John 4: 9-10
1Jn 4: 9 In this the love of God was manifested towards us, that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him.
1Jn 4:10 In this there is love, not because we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as the propitiation for our sins.
Romans 5: 5
Rom 5: 5 Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured into our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.
Romans 8: 31-32
Rom 8:31 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us?
Rom 8:32 He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all, how will he not also give us all things with him?
Romans 8: 38-39
Rom 8:38 For I am sure that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, neither the present nor the future,
Rom 8:39 neither height nor depth, nor any other created thing will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Ephesians 2: 4-5
Ephesians 2: 4 But God, who is rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us,
Ephesians 2: 5 even when we were dead in trespasses, gave us life together with Christ (by grace you have been saved),
Eph 2: 6 and raised us up together, and made us sit in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus,
Ephesians 2: 7 so that in the centuries to come he may display the abundant riches of his grace in his goodness to us in Christ Jesus.
John 3:16
John 3:16 For God loved the world so much that he gave his only begotten Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish, but may have eternal life.
II. There is hope in god
Romans_5: 5 Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured into our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.
Romans 15:13 Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Psalm 31:24 Be of good cheer, and he will strengthen your heart, all who hope in the LORD.
Psalm 33:18 Behold, the eye of the LORD is on those who fear him, on those who hope in his mercy,
Psalms 33:22 Let your mercy, O LORD, be upon us, as we hope in you.
Psalm_42: 11 Why are you downcast, my soul? And why are you restless inside of me? Hope in god; For I will still praise him, help from my face and from my God.
Psalm_71: 5 For you are my hope, O Lord GOD; You are my trust since my youth.
Psalm_146: 5 Blessed is he who has the God of Jacob for his help, whose hope is in the LORD his God,
III. God will protect you
God is interested in your soul. Why? Because he created you to commune with him and love him. You may be wondering, “What are they protecting me from?” Let’s see how it saves us from dangers:
Deu 31: 6 Be strong and courageous, do not fear or be afraid of them; for the LORD your God is the one who goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you. “
Isaiah 41:10 Do not be afraid, for I am with you; Do not be dismayed, because I am your God. I will strengthen you, yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with the right hand of my righteousness.
Psalms 5:11 But be glad, all who trust in You; Always shout for joy, because You defend them; May those who love your name also rejoice in you.
Psalms 5:12 For you, LORD, will bless the righteous; You will surround him with grace as with a shield.
Psalm 12: 5 “Because of the oppression of the poor, because of the groaning of the needy, now I will rise up,” says the LORD; “I’ll put you in the security you crave.”
Psalm 46: 1 God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in problems.
Psalm 23: 1 The LORD is my shepherd; I will lack nothing.
Psalms 23: 2 He makes me lie down in green pastures; He leads me to the calm waters.
Psalm 23: 3 He restores my soul; He will guide me along the paths of justice for his name’s sake.
Psalms 23: 4 Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; Because you’re with me; Your rod and your staff will give me encouragement.
Psalms 23: 5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil; My cup spills.
Psalms 23: 6 Surely good and mercy will follow me All the days of my life; And I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.
Psalm 121: 1 I will lift up my eyes to the mountains. Where does my help come from?
Psalm 121: 2 My help comes from the LORD, who made heaven and earth.
Psalm 91: 1 He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High will dwell in the shadow of the Almighty.
Psalm 91: 2 I will say of the LORD, “He is my refuge and my strength; my God, in him I will trust.”
Psalm 91: 3 Surely He will deliver you from the Hunter’s snare and from the dangerous pestilence.
Psalms 91: 4 With his feathers he will cover you, and under his wings you will be safe; His truth will be your shield and your champion
Psalm 91: 5 You will not fear the terror of the night, Nor the arrow that flies by day,
Psalm 91: 6 Nor of pestilence that walks in darkness, Nor of destruction that strikes at noonday.
Psalm 91: 7 A thousand will fall at your side, and ten thousand at your right hand; But it won’t come near you.
Psalm 91: 8 Only with your eyes will you look, And see the reward of the wicked.
Psalm 91: 9 because you have made the LORD my refuge, the Most High for your dwelling place,
Psalms 91:10 No harm will befall you, no plague will touch your dwelling place;
Psalm 91:11 For he will charge his angels over you, to guard you in all your ways.
Psalm 91:12 They will carry you in their hands, so that you will not stumble over a stone.
Psalms 91:13 You shall tread upon the lion and the cobra; you will trample down the lion’s cub and the serpent.
Psalm 91:14 “Because he has put his love in me, therefore I will deliver him; I will put him on high, because he has known my name.
Psalms 91:15 He will call on me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him and honor him.
Psalms 91:16 I will satisfy him with long life, and show him my salvation. “
Finally, I want to attach an article written by The Hope Line:
Bible verses of God’s plan of salvation: hope of God
Understanding God’s grace and freedom for us
We believe that our greatest HOPE comes when we know that we are loved and that our future is assured.
This is the story of the Bible. God loves you and has prepared a place for you in heaven. And you can receive the gift of salvation by believing in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
There is great freedom in accepting the gift of salvation because there is nothing you can do to earn your way to heaven. Jesus gives it freely to all who believe in him. The God of the universe humbled himself to death on a cross to pay the price for all our sins. Why would he do that? Because he wants a relationship with you forever. You are so important!
To fully understand this beautiful story of salvation in Jesus Christ, here are some key verses from the Bible:
God saves us because he loves us
John 3: 16-17 – For God loved the world so much that he gave his only begotten Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but have eternal life. Because God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save it through him. John 3: 16-17
1 Timothy 1:15 – Here’s a reliable saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the worst. 1 Timothy 1:15
Romans 5: 8 – But God demonstrates his own love for us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Romans 5: 8
Jesus is the only way to be saved
John 14: 6 – Jesus replied: “I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”
Acts 4: 11-12 – This Jesus is the stone that you, the builders, rejected and who has become the cornerstone. And there is no salvation in any other, because there is no other name under heaven given to men in which we can be saved.
2 Corinthians 5:21. Christ never sinned, but God put our sin on Him. Then we are justified with God because of what Christ has done for us.
Ephesians 2: 1-10 – As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit that is now working in the disobedient . All of us also live among them at the same time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh and following their desires and thoughts. Like everyone else, we naturally deserved anger. But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, gave us life with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions; it is by grace that you have been saved. And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, so that in the centuries to come he might display the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his goodness to us in Christ Jesus. Because by grace you have been saved, by faith, and this is not yours, it is the gift of God, not by works, so that no one can boast. Because we are God’s work, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
Titus 3: 5 – He saved us, not by works that we did in righteousness, but according to his mercy, by the washing of regeneration and the renewal of the Holy Spirit.
Hebrews 10:22 – Let us go directly into the presence of God with sincere hearts and fully trusting in him. Because our guilty consciences have been sprinkled with the blood of Christ to cleanse us, and our bodies have been washed with pure water.
God’s plan of salvation from the book of Romans:
Romans 3:23 – Because all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.
Romans 6:23 – The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Romans 10: 9-10 – If you declare with your mouth: “Jesus is Lord”, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. Because it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved.
Romans 10:13 – For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.
Pray these things from your heart
If you want this hope, you can pray right now to accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior. It does not need to be written in a script. Just pray these things from your heart:
Admit that you are a sinner in need of forgiveness.
Confess your sins.
Thank you for the death of Jesus on the cross that paid the price for those sins.
Ask him to be the Lord of your life.
If it helps, here is an example of what you could pray:
Dear Heavenly Father,
I’m sorry for the bad things I did. Please forgive me. I believe that your Son died on the cross for my sins and rose again from the dead, and that is why I will enter heaven when I die. Jesus, come into my heart and be my Lord and Savior. I willingly give you my life. Now, father, help me to do your will. Thanks again for saving me! In the name of Jesus I pray. Amen.
If you have said this prayer, congratulations! There is much rejoicing in heaven!
(The Hope Line, undated)
Well, thanks for reading this article and I also do a podcast at: https://hdf.podbean.com/ Please watch the recorded podcasts, I think you will be blessed by the topic. Stay safe and let me know if you have a topic you want me to cover.
Email me at: [email protected]
JP
References
The Hope line. (North Dakota). Biblical verses of God’s plan of salvation – Hope of God. Retrieved from: https://www.thehopeline.com/verses/gods-plan-of-salvation/