Hope In God’s Greatness - The One Year Salt and Light Devotional

Jeremiah 32:26-27

I am the LORD, the God of all the peoples of the world. Is anything too hard for me? (Jeremiah 32:27)

THE HUMAN MIND TENDS TO enlarge the problems it sees. We envision the possibilities—what might go wrong grows into what really very likely could go wrong, which then grows into the enormous threat of what actually will go wrong. A molehill can grow into a mountain in a remarkably short time, but usually only in our heads. When we express our anxieties out loud, they get even larger. We are experts at cultivating our worries.

But when we speak the language of hope, problems are small and God is big. We see this dynamic again and again in Scripture, whether it’s God reminding Abraham and Sarah, in spite of their laughing and skepticism, that he can accomplish anything (Genesis 18:14); God telling Moses that his arm has never been too short to save (Numbers 11:23, NIV); Isaiah declaring that God’s arm is still strong and his ears still hear (Isaiah 59:1); Jeremiah hearing the certainty of God’s plans (Jeremiah 32:27); or Gabriel assuring Mary that nothing is impossible with God (Luke 1:37). In spite of such assurances, we have a disease that sociologists and psychologists call “negativity bias”; we lean toward the negative in our expectations. But God pulls us the other way. We and the people around us desperately need to hear the language of hope.

You can’t learn this language by studying grammar, vocabulary, and syntax; but you can immerse yourself in it by gazing at God, worshiping and magnifying him in your own heart and mind, and being fully preoccupied with him rather than the troubling situation at hand. When trials come, we have a choice: stare at them or stare at God. One choice results in futility and despair; the other in hope and faith. One turns molehills into ominous mountains, the other proves mountains to be less than the size of God’s palm. As is often said, what we focus on gets bigger. You and those around you need someone to change the focus and turn the narrative. You can do that by speaking the language of hope.

{Father, my mind cannot afford to be preoccupied with anything other than you. Remind me of your greatness—that you are mighty to save, and nothing is hopeless with you. Amen.