Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you will abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost. —Romans 15:13
Thousands of Christians in North America have heard one of Don Moen’s praise songs which he wrote to affirm God’s sovereignty in the Christian’s life. However, most Christians who have sung this song do not know the kind of hopelessness from which the lyrics came.
Don Moen was awakened in the middle of the night by a phone call from his mother-in-law; a tragic car accident had just occurred. Don’s sister-in-law, Susan, her husband, and their four little boys were on an automobile trip when tragedy struck. They all were seriously injured, and their eight-year-old son was dying from his injuries.
As Don and his wife grieved and poured out their hearts to the Lord, they felt helpless to communicate any hope to Susan and Craig. Don recalls asking the Lord to help him express hope to the family members. In a very short time, Don scribbled some lyrics and composed the music for a chorus that, to this day, gives believers a deep sense of hope in the midst of difficult times. The lyrics read:
God will make a way,
Where there seems to be no way;
He works in ways we cannot see,
He will make a way for me.
He will be my guide,
Hold me closely to His side;
With love and strength for each new day,
He will make a way. He will make a way! To put it simply, the only way to have hope is to have Him. The only way to have peace is to have Him.
As Paul reminds us in Romans 15:13, hope—as well as peace and joy—come through faith. It is true that many people claim to have faith in God during the good times, but when trials come their way, their faith is clearly lacking. In times when our vision of God becomes blurred by sorrow, the eyes of faith are more important than ever.
George Macdonald, author and mentor to C.S. Lewis, once wrote: “I think faith can never have a greater victory than when it will trust even in the midst of darkness and doubt and temptation.” What a great definition of victorious faith!—faith in our victorious God who never loses control of His people . . . and His planet.
The truth is, God’s will for us isn’t even nullified by our suffering, nor does it end at the grave. Our hope rests in the promise that our lives will stretch far beyond these few fleeting moments on earth, into an eternity of heavenly joy and satisfaction.
Are you willing to believe that God will make a way where there seems to be no way? He works in ways we cannot see . . . He will make a way!
Faith in the promises of God naturally leads to a hopeful expectation of their fulfillment. Pray that God will increase your faith in Him, not allowing it to waver amidst difficult circumstances, but instead, causing it to grow stronger through them. (From “A Wisdom Retreat”, by Stephen Davey)
