The Circle of Well-being

As we stand on the on-ramp of another year, we look down the months wondering what we will encounter. The inauguration of a new President this January makes the view even less clear than normal. You don’t have to be a disappointed Hillary voter to be wary about just what Donald Trump will set about doing when he steps into power. Add to that the usual annual anticipation that January always brings, and the roadmap seems littered with potential hazards.

Everyone can use a little comfort at a time like this. Believers have fewer trepidations than those who don’t know who holds the future: the king’s heart is in His hand as He directs the course of nations. Even with that knowledge, though, it is easy to lose one’s sense of balance. While the men in the White House or the Kremlin or the radical mosque do have inordinate power to affect the lives of ordinary people, believers have marvelous promises that should outweigh the uncertainties of geopolitics.

There are many such promises, but I am thinking of two in particular today. I have added a Bible blessing to the top of my daily prayer list, a different one each day. Today’s blessing reminded me of the circular nature of God’s surrounding care for His people. The blessing for today from Romans 15:13 says, “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.” This represents a beautiful circle as I see it.

First off, note that God is the “God of hope.” Hope is the emotion that keeps prisoners of war alive; that keeps the prodigal’s father standing at the gate in anticipation of the lost son’s homecoming; that keeps Daniel at peace in the lions’ den. The loss of hope leads to the loss of everything it means to be human. To counteract this, our God makes us to “abound in hope” through His Holy Spirit who multiplies our “joy and peace” that exists because we are “believing.” Simple faith (believing) brings joy, peace and hope. How great is that!

The same kind of self-reinforcing promise is found in a duo of Old and New Testament passages. Philippians 4:7 says, “May the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Paul’s prayer here is that the incredible, infinite peace that comes from God would “guard” our inner being, the place where such peace resides. Meld this with the promise found in Isaiah 26:3, “You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you.” Again an element of belief, trust, guarantees peace to the mind stayed on God. So the peace which guards our hearts is a promised by-product of our belief or trust in God.

The writer of Hebrews says, “without faith it is impossible to please God.” It is also pretty clear that true faith results in peace and hope and joy in our deepest selves. The flip side of this coin is that any doubt or discomfort or worry about the coming year is plainly the result of weak faith. We cannot know the future, but we do know who holds the future. I must continually remind myself that my well-being is guaranteed by God; all I have to do is practice that element of faith known as trust. Perhaps that leads to a worthwhile New Year's resolution: I will trust God as I roll into 2017, whatever it may bring.