Calvary Chapel Fort Lauderdale Daily DevotionalSample

Hope's Habitation Webster defines hope as "desire accompanied by expectation." It's not only what we want to happen, but also the assured belief that it will happen. When you think about it, hope is like oxygen for our soul. It's absolutely critical and essential for our existence. Where there's hope, there is excitement and anticipation, a fervor for life. Where there's no hope, there's no expectation, no passion, no zest or zeal for tomorrow-or even today.Hope is vital in order to experience the life God intends for us (John 10:10), but notice where hope is to be found and whom it should be placed: in God. Why is that such an important point? Because all too often we lose focus and place our hope, our desires, and our expectations for those desires, in things other than God. And when we do that, we eventually find ourselves cast down and disquieted-or as we might say today-disappointed and discouraged. We invest our hope in a particular place, but it doesn't live up to our expectations. We put our hope in other people, only to have them fail us in some way. We place our hope in a possession, thinking that if we just get that "special something" it would satisfy our soul, only to find it's not the real answer. Or we hope in a prospect that never comes through. Again, the Psalmist points us in the right direction: Hope in God. When our desires and expectations are invested in Him, they're in the most secure place possible. Help us, Father, to place our hope in You, and protect us from putting it in the things of this world. Hope is vital in order to experience the life God intends for us. Think about it... What does this passage reveal to me about God? What does this passage reveal to me about myself? Based on this, what changes do I need to make? What is my prayer for today?