December 3 Petition Mission

“Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit” (Rom 15:13).

Do you recognize the household name who wrote this? “I have missed more than 9,000 shots in my career. I have lost almost 300 games. On 26 occasions I have been entrusted to take the game-winning shot, and I missed. I have failed over and over and over again in my life—and that is why I succeed.” Cut from his high school basketball team, yes, it was Michael Jordan! He has learned the wisdom in the words of Winston Churchill: “Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.” Churchill knew what he was talking about; his early life was filled with failure.

But our hope is not based on positive thinking or even hard work. It is the God of hope who fills us with hope so we can abound in hope by the Spirit. Lord, help me, in a world that has lost hope in humanity, to overflow with true hope in Christ.