by Pastor Douglas Brauner

Hope for the Future

You can listen to today’s devotion by clicking on this SoundCloud link.

When you saw the title of this devotion, a chill might have run down your spine as you thought of an “F” as a failing grade in school. That is not the “F” around which this devotion is written. There are three “F” words that have a major impact on our lives: Future, Fear, and Faith. Let’s start with the future.

Peering into the future is like peering into the fog. We might have some understanding of what is ahead, but it’s distorted by our inability to see clearly the path on which we tread.

Fear is one way that we might approach the future. It feels like there is much to be afraid of these days. Will we enter a recession? Will I have a job? Will our world go to war? The answer might be yes to some or all of these questions. Worry and fear go hand in glove. Fear has a way of immobilizing us and robbing us of joy.

We can also approach the future with faith. Faith has to have an object on which to grab. Faith itself might not help us deal with the future if our trust is in the wrong thing. However, faith that grabs on to Jesus is the faith that will sustain us in the unknown fuzziness of our foggy future.

In this mix of future, fear, and faith we hear the words of St. John;

“There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear.” 
1 John 4:18a English Standard Version

That perfect love is not our love, for none us is capable of loving perfectly. It is God’s perfect love for us, for you, that casts out fear about the future and allows us to live the adventure of a lifetime. Faith looks beyond death, beyond the grave to the day of Jesus’ return and our reign with him glory. It looks forward to that day when sin, death, and Satan will be no more.

Faith that holds on to Jesus gives us hope for tomorrow.

Copyright Holy Cross Lutheran Church, Colorado Springs, Colorado