Cindy Powell

“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair…”

So begins Dicken’s classic, A Tale of Two Cities.

Sound familiar?

Those words could apply at just about any point in history, but they seem particularly poignant at this precise moment in time. While there is no doubt there are a multitude of significant challenges facing virtually all of us, it is critically important to remember that we  are not helplessly destined to waver somewhere between good and evil. We may not be able to control all of life’s varied circumstances, but we definitely can control what we choose to magnify.  We can magnify the best, or we can magnify the worst. We can magnify wisdom, or we can magnify foolishness. We can magnify faith, or we can magnify doubt. We can magnify light, or we can magnify darkness. We can magnify despair…

Or we can magnify hope.

I choose hope. I choose to magnify hope, and not despair. I choose to magnify His presence, and not the presence of evil and opposition.

I choose to magnify Love, not fear.

It’s not always easy. There are all kinds of voices clamoring for attention. There are lots of opinions. There are tons of distractions. There are very real trials and difficulties. But if you quiet the turmoil and listen with your heart, I think you’ll find hope’s anthem is still resounding loud and clear.

I think you’ll hear Him loud and clear.

Because He is the God of hope.

“Any area of my life for which I have no hope is under the influence of a lie.” – Bill Johnson

Don’t believe the lie of hopelessness a moment longer. If you are in Christ, you are firmly planted in hope. So magnify hope. Magnify love.

Magnify Him.

And watch the “things” of earth (i.e. difficulties, despair, discouragement, and distraction) grow strangely dim, in the light of His glory and grace. *

“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” – Romans 15:13

* Paraphrased from the hymn, “Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus”

Artwork by Aeron Brown. Spontaneous devotions are just that – a spontaneous collaborative expression of worship. I read scripture and/or some devotional thoughts, then pray into those those thoughts while Aeron draws. For others click here.