God Delights in You 13th Day in Lent
Read: Zephaniah 3:14-17, 20 “The Lord your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing.” Zephaniah 3:17 (NIV)
On one occasion, a pastor asked one of his parishioners: “Do you believe in the hereafter?” The parishioner replied: “You bet I do. I often go in a room and say, ‘What am I here after?’” Above the massive front doors of a cathedral these words were inscribed: THE GATE OF HEAVEN. Below was a small sign, which read: PLEASE USE OTHER ENTRANCE. If we were honest with ourselves and each other, we would say that we hope one day to be with God in Heaven. Why do we use this word ‘hope’? Isn’t this a certainty? Haven’t we been told that “Those who believe and are baptised will be saved”? (Mark 16:16a) We all know that Jesus loves us and that we have been saved by grace through our faith, what then makes us doubt God’s promise?
I have a copy of the above verse on the wall of my office. It is there to remind me that God will calm any fear I have and that He is so happy with me that He rejoices over me with songs – He is that happy! It is full of hope and the promise that God will do what He has promised to do. Zephaniah was a prophet in ancient Judah during the time when King Josiah reigned (640–609 BCE). He was there to warn the people that God’s Day of judgement was coming. God’s people had strayed, and they thought that they could enter heaven by other doors – worshipping other gods. Then in verse 17, Zephaniah tells them that even though the people will experience consequences, God will bless His people and take away all the judgements put on them.
God sent Jesus to take the wrath of sin on Himself for all of humankind. Heaven is on earth already… God is here with us! Our hope is in the here and now – not only the hereafter. A little girl promised her daddy a hug when he finished his work.
Suddenly, she ran to him and gave him a bone-crushing hug saying: ‘I just want you to know what to look forward to.’ We can live in the hope and joy promised us every day!
Prayer: Dear God, you love me so much that you rejoice over me with singing, you are that happy to have me in your family. Calm any fears I may have and bring me into the assurance of being with you already. Amen
Hopelessness? 12th Day in Lent (Tuesday) Read: Micah 7:1-7 “But as for me, I watch in hope for the Lord, I wait for God my Saviour; my God will hear me.” Micah 7:7 (NIV)
Our world seems to be in disarray. Political leaders are vying for more land and beginning wars over this land. People are upset over rights and rally about injustices, our youth run rampant in the streets hurting themselves and others. Can there be any hope for our world? In the reading from Micah 7:1–7, it sounds so much like the world today, but this was written between 750 and 686 BCE. Has nothing changed with a godless society? Micah was lamenting over a decadent society and the godlessness of his generation. In verse 6 we also read of the breakdown of the family unit.
There was hopelessness then as well as now. We see people turn away from their faith and the truth of God. They turn to other gods: property, wealth, holidays, possessions, entertainment and experiences. Our prayer is that families will turn to God, that they will teach their children the truth and that the world will turn to see God and worship Him. That is our hope! Let’s follow the example of Micah and not dwell in the hopelessness that we see, rather, we watch and wait in hope for the Lord. We can also rest securely in this hope.
That God will hear our prayers and that we can make a difference even in our small part of the world and remain faithful to God and His Word. God sending Jesus at Christmas was the greatest gift God could give to a fallen world. This gift paved a new way of living in God’s grace and forgiveness and the hope of a better day. God looked at His sin-diseased world and provided the remedy for that condition in His only Son. We are sinful people, but we are also God’s forgiven people who walk through life with hope. Jesus promises us eternal life as a gift from our Heavenly Father.
The world may be scary, and unrest surrounds us but know that there is hope for all the world for we have a God who loves and cares for His children. Discouraged? Feeling hopeless? Know that God brings hope! Prayer: My God, I know you care for your world. Bring peace and comfort to your people. Help me know that in you only can I find hope and peace for my life and soul. Amen
Read: Lamentations 3:21-26 “Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope: Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.” Lamentations 3:21-23 (NIV)
I have a son who, when younger, did not like to wear anything new. I don’t know why whether it was the scratchiness of the material or the label, or that they were unfamiliar, but he liked his old faithfuls. It got to the point where I would keep some newer yet older clothes that he could wear when we went out and to church. It is interesting that this didn’t apply to underwear or school clothes. It took a couple of years, but he grew out of this quirkiness and is now a fan of new clothes! There is comfort in the familiar. My husband says when we have hamburgers or spaghetti, “This is comfort food.”
I understand that this is the food he grew up with, and it brings memories. I value the above Bible verse, that God’s love is not the same every day. Each day He shows His love to us in a different way, but it is comfortable and brings peace. There is nothing unfamiliar about God’s great love and His feelings towards us, so each day we can put them on, it is a faithfulness that does not change. Each day I can wake up in the hope and with the promise that God has said that my day is a new one, but nothing unfamiliar will change with His love.
This devotional theme challenges me, like all the ones before. How can I come up with new stories, new illustrations to share the hope I have in a loving God who sent His Son to live a human life, and then on a painful journey to the cross and a tortuous death. This was all for you and me. Jesus didn’t stay dead – God had Jesus beat death and rise from the dead so that we can have hope and a future with our Heavenly Father. Jesus paid the cost for all our sins.
This might sound familiar and it brings comfort, but chew over this comfort food, read a new Bible verse and remember God’s goodness. Each day is a new day to love God and each other.
Prayer: Thank you, Lord, for your familiar yet new love and grace which you give me every day. Help me to appreciate your forgiveness and all you did for me on the cross. Amen.
Don’t Quit! 2nd Sunday during Lent
Read: Jeremiah 29:11-14a “‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.’” Jeremiah 29:11 (NIV)
Ignace Jan Paderewski, the famous composer-pianist, was scheduled to perform at a great concert hall in America. In the audience that evening was a mother with her fidgety nine-year-old son. The mother was hopeful that her son would be encouraged to practice the piano if he could just hear the immortal Paderewski at the piano. As she turned to talk with friends, her son slipped away from her side, drawn to the ebony concert grand Steinway piano. He placed his small, trembling f ingers in the right location and began to play “Chopsticks.”
Hundreds of frowning faces pointed in his direction. Irritated and embarrassed, they began to shout: “Where’s his mother?” “Somebody stop him!” Backstage, the master overheard the sounds out front and quickly put together in his mind what was happening. Without one word of announcement, he stooped over behind the boy, reached around both sides, and began to improvise a countermelody to harmonize with and enhance “Chopsticks.” As the two of them played together, Paderewski kept whispering in the boy’s ear: “Keep going. Don’t quit.
Keep on playing… don’t stop… don’t quit.” God knows the future, and his plans for us are good and full of hope. This does not mean that we will be spared pain, suffering, or hardship… God never promised us that; in fact, there will be many trials and temptations in our lives. But He wants us to prosper and have a peace that Jesus gives us through His death on the cross. Sometimes we do things we shouldn’t, like the little boy, but God makes good out of any circumstance we may find ourselves in. God is the kind of leader that will never leave us. He will always be with us.
He will carry us when we cannot walk. When we are down, it will be Him, that will reach down with his loving hand and pick us up, dust off our clothes, put a Band Aid on our scrape, kiss it better then send us back to try again. This Lenten season remember that there is a God who loves and cares for you and your future. Start playing. Keep playing. Don’t stop, don’t quit.
Prayer: My Father God, you reach out to me, encouraging me to keep going, even when things are hard. Thank you for your plans and promises for my life. I live in hope of my future. Amen.
Read: Jeremiah 17:7-8 “But blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him.” Jeremiah 17:7 (NIV)
In 1989, Tania (a friend from school) and myself decided to go and visit another one of our friends, Julie. Julie had taken up a job as a nursing sister in the far north of Queensland amongst the community of Wujal Wujal. The thing is, both Tania and I worked in Adelaide. So, we packed up my car, a Toyota Corona MK ll, and began our trek. It was during the January school holidays, and it was hot.
Back then, no mobile phones so we just trusted that this car would get us there and hoped to be able to spend a couple weeks with our friend. We did have a few mishaps needing to stay in one town for a couple nights to have the engine repaired, but we finally arrived in Cairns. Julie met us at the Lutheran church where we left my car and packed into her 4WD. Wujal Wujal is a remote Aboriginal community, and we needed to go through rivers and across extremely rugged roads. What an experience! Living amongst this community was incredible, and they had to rely and trust on getting supplies across the Bloomfield River. This river was tidal, so during the wet season it became very dangerous. To get us across, Julie knew the tide times and got us safely across at low tide.
What is the difference between hope and trust? Hope is the feeling of desiring and expecting a particular thing to happen. Trust, on the other hand, is the firm belief in the reliability, truth, or ability of someone or something. In the Bible, sometimes we may think that hope and trust are interchangeable, and in some cases it does work. But, in our lives, we put our trust (firm belief, reliability) in a loving God who sent His only Son to earth for our salvation.
Our hope (expectation) lies in the promises that we are given by Jesus – He has many rooms in His Father’s house, and He has prepared a place for us. (John 14:2) We put our trust in God for the hope of a future with Him!
Prayer: Lord Jesus, I confidently place my trust in the fact that you died for me. My hope lies in your resurrection and that you also will take me to be with you where you are. Amen.
Eagles’ Wings 9th Day in Lent (Friday)
Read: Isaiah 40:1-8, 28-31
“But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.” Isaiah 440:31 (NIV)
In January of 1991, I left Australia to join a Lutheran Youth Encounter team out of Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA. I had no idea what that would entail. It was a journey of faith. Looking back, I realise how incredibly unprepared I was for this ministry. Training was to be held in the Black Hills of South Dakota (camping) for two weeks, but as I left Australia early, I missed all the correspondence of what to have and bring.
I didn’t have a sleeping bag, or pillow, or towel – just me, clothes, guitar and flute. As part of the training in South Dakota, we were to spend 24 hours in solitude in the bush, away from people and tents, just a sleeping bag, food and a Bible. I was rather concerned, not knowing if there were bears or mountain lions. Anyway, off I went – just me! I hiked to a hill above the camp – could just see it through the trees, it was at a point called ‘Eagles’ Nest’. There I lay my sleeping bag on the ground and sat on it. Silence can be very loud.
Well, I thought, let’s see what God has to say to me, so I just closed my eyes and opened my Bible, and it came to Isaiah 40. That day these verses spoke to me and gave me comfort. The Word of God is living, and the Bible says different things to me each time I open it. As I was reading the above verse, Isaiah 40:31, I looked up and there was an eagle soaring above me. I truly felt God’s presence and left all my fears of bears and mountain lions with God. To show me His presence, when I awoke the next morning, there was a small deer one metre from where I lay.
That time of solitude showed me so much about placing my hope and trust in a loving God. I pray that you also can experience this strength and comfort. Open your Bible and have it speak to you. Put your hope in God and feel yourself soar like on eagles’ wings!
Prayer: In you Lord, I put my trust. In you I hope and this gives me strength for each day. Help me to read your Word regularly and allow myself space and time to fully comprehend what you are saying. Amen.
Our Present Hope 8th Day in Lent (Thursday)
Read: Proverbs 23:15-19
“There is surely a future hope for you, and your hope will not be cut off.” Proverbs 23:18 (NIV) A year ago, my nephew went on a Youth With A Mission (YWAM) expedition taking a wooden sailing boat called the Vaka Hop’e from the Philippine Islands to the Solomon Islands. (You can google it to get all the tales of their journey.) The name signifies that it is a boat bringing hope across to the Solomon Islanders who will use it through mission activities and development within the community. During my nephew’s journey which took three months, and sailed over 2,900 nautical miles, the crew of four experienced many adventures.
It was a simple catamaran tied together with ropes to give flexibility on the seas. While travelling through the Indonesian waters in the night a rudder broke in heavy seas, then the second of the rudders broke. They thought they would be carried on to the rocks, but somehow using an oar as a rudder, they got to the shore of an island where a local islander made them two new rudders. In Papua New Guinea they encountered thieves and pirates, but all escaped unharmed. God was with them through their journey, and many friends and family (including us) were lifting them all up in prayer.
Throughout the journey, they felt the calling to do God’s work to bring and provide the Solomon Island community with this boat for their work and mission. We all are on a journey. Maybe not one like the Vaka Hop’e, but it is a personal journey through life. In Proverbs 23:15-19, the writer gives wisdom to his son. It is also wisdom to us.
We are to be wise and put our hope in the Lord. God is our present hope and our future hope. In your life, whatever adventures and mishaps that may steer you off path and cause concern, “…be wise, and keep your heart on the right path.”
(verse 19) When your heart and sight is set on God, everything else will fall into place. Meditate on God’s Word this Lenten season and watch Him steer your life. Our future hope starts with our present hope.
Prayer: My loving Saviour, through your life and the adventures you encountered, you never swayed from where your sight was set. God set your course to the cross to secure my future hope. Thank you. Amen.
Hope builds faith
The devotions for the coming week are taken from Lutheran Tract Mission’s 2026 Lenten devotional, ‘Hope for Our Future’. Written by Anne Hansen, Lutheran Tract Mission’s Tract Development Officer, the devotions focus on how our futures and hopes are assured in Jesus Christ. The Lenten devotional is available here. It can be downloaded, printed or used as a digital flipbook.
by Anne Hansen
Click here to download your printable verse to carry with you today.
The Lord delights in those who fear him, who put their hope in his unfailing love (Psalm 147:11).
Read Psalm 147:1–11
I believe that God gave farmers a mammoth share of faith. Year after year, they sow their crops in the hope that God will send rain for a good harvest. Other farmers spend money and time on feeding their animals in the hope that God will give a good return at the market.
While in Loxton, South Australia, I truly got to understand the meanings of faith and hope. In verses 8 and 9 of Psalm 147 is written:
He covers the sky with clouds; he supplies the earth with rain and makes grass grow on the hills. He provides food for the cattle and for the young ravens when they call.
But what happens when this doesn’t occur in our timing?
My farmer friends from Loxton have faced desperate times without rain, as well as seasons of good harvests. God asks us and those farmers to fear him (respect him) and to continue hoping that, in his unfailing love, he will provide what is needed. It may not be the desired rain, but it may come in the form of help from friends, neighbours and family coming together in faith.
When we are in need and hope, we pray! God hears the prayers of the faithful, and he will uphold you with the strength to cope for another day. Throughout the Bible, we read of God’s love and faithfulness – we only need to hold onto this hope and promise.
This is a beautiful psalm of promise in remembering all that God does for us:
He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds. He determines the number of the stars and calls them each by name. Great is our Lord and mighty in power; his understanding has no limit (Psalm 147:3–5).
Our God is an incredible God. If he knows the billions and trillions of stars by name, he knows your name and hears the prayers of his children. God wants us to rest in the hope that he loves us and hears all our concerns. This Lenten season, open your hearts to pray – for your family, your neighbours, those in need and the world.
Hope builds faith!
Loving Father, you know all my needs and concerns. I come to you in prayer, asking for help for our farmers. Knowing that you hear my prayers, I place my hope in your promises. Amen.
Anne Hansen has worked as the Lutheran Tract Mission Development Officer for almost 20 years. She lives in Noosa, Queensland, with her husband Mark (a pastor). She enjoys leading Know Your Bible (KYB) and Mainly Music. For relaxation, she loves walking, reading, gardening and playing pickleball.
Hope-filled waiting
The devotions for the coming week are taken from Lutheran Tract Mission’s 2026 Lenten devotional, ‘Hope for Our Future’. Written by Anne Hansen, Lutheran Tract Mission’s Tract Development Officer, the devotions focus on how our futures and hopes are assured in Jesus Christ. The Lenten devotional is available here. It can be downloaded, printed or used as a digital flipbook.
by Anne Hansen
Click here to download your printable verse to carry with you today.
I wait for the Lord, my whole being waits, and in his word I put my hope. I wait for the Lord more than watchmen wait for the morning (Psalm 130:5,6).
Read Psalm 130:1–8
It was 1980, and I sat at the bus stop, waiting and waiting for my bus to come to take me to the city, where I would catch another bus to Immanuel College in Novar Gardens, an inner south-western suburb of Adelaide.
The bus had been due 10 minutes ago; I was going to miss my connection with the city bus. What could I do? There were no mobile phones to call or to check if the bus was on time. I was unable to contact my mum, so I just had to sit, wait and hope that it would come.
Eventually, I learnt that my bus had broken down. Another arrived to take its place and take me to my destination. I was late to school that day. I sat there, trusting that a bus would come to take me to school. I knew I had the right time and the right place, but I just had to sit and wait in hope.
How many times have you sat and waited in hope for God to come and act? Waiting for a family member to come home when they are late? Sitting by the bedside of a loved one as they struggle in pain? Waiting by the phone to hear the results of a test, but it seems to take hours? God hears and cares; still, we wait in hope for the Lord.
The writer of this psalm, presumed to be King David, repeats a part of the above verse: ‘… more than watchmen wait for the morning.’ I have learnt that things repeated in the Bible are emphasised for a reason.
Watchmen were night workers; they worked all night and finished when the sun came up. They knew that their shift would end, for morning does come, but it just takes time.
We are to put our hope in the Lord our God. He hears our cries, prayers and pleas – we must wait for the morning to come. It will inevitably come … just wait with hope!
We wait as ‘watchmen wait for the morning’.
My Lord and Saviour, help me to wait and to trust that you will bring me an answer in your timing. Sometimes it is difficult to wait, but please give me patience in my hope for your help. Amen.
Anne Hansen has worked as the Lutheran Tract Mission Development Officer for almost 20 years. She lives in Noosa, Queensland, with her husband Mark (a pastor). She enjoys leading Know Your Bible (KYB) and Mainly Music. For relaxation, she loves walking, reading, gardening and playing pickleball.