21 Days of Prayer & Fasting 2021: Day 10

DAY 10: MAKING AN IMPACT THROUGH HOPE
Wednesday, February 17

READ
Romans 15:13

REFLECT
According to recent research by the American Psychological Association, consuming too much news can lead to severe stress and depression.[1] Many of us don’t need research to know this is true. We are experiencing this stress and depression ourselves! Watching and reading the news can also tempt us to feel hopeless. It can empty us out of any joy and peace we may have. In response, some of us avoid the news altogether. After all, who wants to hear bad news all the time and be full of despair and hopelessness? However, God desires to fill us with hope. And, like a bathtub full of constantly flowing water, this hope is one that can flow over into the lives of others. We are not the only ones who need hope; others need hope as well. And God wants to use followers of Christ to bring this hope to others.

The world doesn’t need hope in something that may or may not happen. They need a hope outside of themselves that will not disappoint. Notice the sequence Paul uses in Romans 15:13—when we trust in God, He will fill us with joy and peace that will fill us with hope. And all of this is accomplished by the Holy Spirit’s power. As a result of experiencing God’s hope, we can use the Spirit’s power to fill others with hope. What a great task! We are “hope-bringers” carrying hope to the hopeless! differences, the church can express its identity through the unity we have in Christ.

RESPOND
Spend time in prayer, following the Upward, Inward, Outward, Upward format.

Upward: Who God is; What God has done, is doing, will do
Inward: Who you are; How you live
Outward: Intercession for others; unified prayer focus with Pathway

TODAY’S PRAYER: God, we beg you to fill us with your hope of the gospel. Use your hope to crowd out any sense of hopelessness, despair, and anxiety in our hearts. As we experience this hope in you, may you open our eyes to the opportunities around us to bring hope to others. May we be people of hope and not of despair!

Upward: Thanksgiving and Worship