1-2By entering through faith into what God has always wanted to do for us—set us right with him, make us fit for him—we have it all together with God because of our Master Jesus. And that's not all: We throw open our doors to God and discover at the same moment that he has already thrown open his door to us. We find ourselves standing where we always hoped we might stand—out in the wide open spaces of God's grace and glory, standing tall and shouting our praise.
3-5There's more to come: We continue to shout our praise even when we're hemmed in with troubles, because we know how troubles can develop passionate patience in us, and how that patience in turn forges the tempered steel of virtue, keeping us alert for whatever God will do next. In alert expectancy such as this, we're never left feeling shortchanged. Quite the contrary—we can't round up enough containers to hold everything God generously pours into our lives through the Holy Spirit! (from Romans 5, the Message)
Hope. It's been the central theme for me this year. God has provided circumstance after circumstance to allow me to evaluate where my hope lies. And with the upcoming frustrations, loneliness, and stress that will undoubtedly come with transitioning to another culture and acclamating to my first year teaching, I know there will be many times when I need to be reminded of that hope again. If I place it completely in others or myself, I'll be utterly disappointed. It must be in the hope of the Emmanuel, God with me now. It should also be in what's to come, as I remember that this life is not the whole picture. What a beautiful image of what God wants for his children--to be hemmed in with troubles, yet still standing tall in the wide open spaces of God's grace and glory, shouting praises we can't contain because he is worthy. Lord, allow me to grab hold of this hope in all circumstances.
