Finding hope in the promises of God.

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

“There is hope for your future, declares the LORD, and your children shall come back to their own country.”
Jeremiah 31:17 New Living Translation

If people gave me a nickel for every minute I’ve spent looking at my cell phone screen, I’d be a wealthy man. In fact most of us would be. Research suggests that we spend nearly one third of our day on our phones. Whether we spend more or less time on our phone, one thing is for sure:  smartphones have changed how we spend our time and how we see our world.

My six-year-old grandson, Eli, is already proficient at using a cell phone.

Janice and I had taken Eli and his brother, Nolan, to the sculpture park in Loveland, Colorado. We went there so that Eli could play Pokémon Go on his father’s phone. We walked the paths in the elusive quest for the Pokémon. Toward the end of our time, Eli sat underneath this sculpture of the Boy Shepherd; at least, I think that was its name. There was an obvious contrast between Eli and the sculpture. The shepherd boy is dreaming about his future, while Eli is focused on the here and now.

Are we losing the ability to look to the future with hope? Are we so focused on our screens, on what is in front of us, that we can’t see God’s promises for the future?

The nation of Israel had been taken captive by the Assyrians, the nation of Judah by Babylon. They might have lost hope in their captivity by focusing on the things their eyes could see instead of on God’s promises. However, God had a plan for his people to bring them back from exile.

God has plan for us that one day we will rest in peace in his presence. May we keep our eyes focused on that promise where we will find hope to dream.

Text and Photo Copyright Douglas P Brauner