“It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.”
1 Corinthians 13:7-8
Perhaps like me, you have prayed faithfully about a situation or a loved one but have detected no answer. When our faith is tested, discouragement often rolls in like a flood. Yet we remember that Paul told us in Romans 5 “that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope” (v. 3-4). In 1 Corinthians 13 Paul intertwines love and hope. How do these go together?
As we mature in our walk of faith, we learn to entrust every part of our lives to God, finding Him to be faithful, understanding that in His perfect love He gives what we need. We find in Him hope that is beyond human understanding and strength to persevere, even when questions remain. Our deep agonies may hang on for years. So we learn to look beyond them and fix our eyes instead on Jesus, our hope for this life and our assurance in the next. We are covered in His love on our journey homeward.
“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” (Romans 15:13).
As we mature in our walk of faith, we learn to entrust every part of our lives to God, finding Him to be faithful, understanding that in His perfect love He gives what we need. We find in Him hope that is beyond human understanding and strength to persevere, even when questions remain. Our deep agonies may hang on for years. So we learn to look beyond them and fix our eyes instead on Jesus, our hope for this life and our assurance in the next. We are covered in His love on our journey homeward.
“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” (Romans 15:13).
Scripture Focus
1 Corinthians 13:11-13
Insight
“Lord, give me such a faith as this,/ And then, whate’er may come,/ I’ll taste even now the hallowed bliss/ Of an eternal home.” (William H. Bathurst, 1831)
Bible In A Year
- Isaiah 27-28
- Psalm 84
- Acts 5-6