A Prayer for Hope
“Let all that I am wait quietly before God, for my hope is in him.” Psalm 62:5
Horatio Gates Spafford was a wealthy lawyer and businessman who invested much of his money in Chicago real estate in the late 1800s. In 1871, when the great Chicago fire occurred, Horatio and his family lost almost everything. About that same time, Horatio and his wife, Anna, lost their one and only son. They had four daughters. Yet, in spite of his own tragedy, Spafford and his wife spent many hours assisting the other victims of the Chicago fire.
Not long after that, Horatio Spafford and his family were traveling to Europe for an evangelistic crusade and vacation. Horatio was detained by business, but sent his family ahead by ship. The ship collided with another, and sank within twenty minutes, taking Horatio Spafford’s four daughters to their death. Only his wife, Anna, one of 47 survivors, remained.
Soon after this tragedy, Horatio Gates Spafford penned the famous hymn, It Is Well With My Soul. The hymn epitomizes our hope in Jesus Christ—no matter what manner of despair we face in this life. We have an eternal hope in Jesus Christ.
Horatio Spafford and his wife moved to Jerusalem, Israel ten years after the great Chicago fire, with two daughters God saw fit to bless them with. They helped to found a group called the American Colony, whose mission was to help the poor.[1]
Is your life going a bit like Horatio Spafford’s? Are you feeling desperate? Are you feeling despair? Remember that God’s Word offers hope for times of despair.
Romans 5:5 reminds us of that with these words, “And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.”
Dear Heavenly Father,
We bow before You with thanksgiving and pray as the Psalmist prayed, “You faithfully answer our prayers with awesome deeds, O God our savior. You are the hope of everyone on earth, even those who sail on distant seas.” (Psalm 65:5)
Father, our circumstances have brought us to the pit of darkest despair. Please reach down and pick us up from this lowly state, and renew our hope in You alone.
We trust in Your Word, Father, and we ask that You would remind us of Your glorious plan. We thank You and praise You that we are a part of this glorious plan You have.
Dear Lord, we commit afresh and anew to placing 100% of our hope and trust in You. We thank You that the hopes of the godly result in happiness (Proverbs 10:28). We praise You for blessing those whose hope and confidence lie in You (Jeremiah 17:7).
We thank You and praise You, Heavenly Father, that Your hope is a strong and trustworthy anchor for our souls that leads us through the curtain into God’s inner sanctuary (Hebrews 6:19).
May we dwell secure in this hope forever, for it is in Your precious, holy name we pray.
AMEN.
Horatio Gates Spafford was a wealthy lawyer and businessman who invested much of his money in Chicago real estate in the late 1800s. In 1871, when the great Chicago fire occurred, Horatio and his family lost almost everything. About that same time, Horatio and his wife, Anna, lost their one and only son. They had four daughters. Yet, in spite of his own tragedy, Spafford and his wife spent many hours assisting the other victims of the Chicago fire.
Not long after that, Horatio Spafford and his family were traveling to Europe for an evangelistic crusade and vacation. Horatio was detained by business, but sent his family ahead by ship. The ship collided with another, and sank within twenty minutes, taking Horatio Spafford’s four daughters to their death. Only his wife, Anna, one of 47 survivors, remained.
Soon after this tragedy, Horatio Gates Spafford penned the famous hymn, It Is Well With My Soul. The hymn epitomizes our hope in Jesus Christ—no matter what manner of despair we face in this life. We have an eternal hope in Jesus Christ.
Horatio Spafford and his wife moved to Jerusalem, Israel ten years after the great Chicago fire, with two daughters God saw fit to bless them with. They helped to found a group called the American Colony, whose mission was to help the poor.[1]
Is your life going a bit like Horatio Spafford’s? Are you feeling desperate? Are you feeling despair? Remember that God’s Word offers hope for times of despair.
Romans 5:5 reminds us of that with these words, “And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.”
Dear Heavenly Father,
We bow before You with thanksgiving and pray as the Psalmist prayed, “You faithfully answer our prayers with awesome deeds, O God our savior. You are the hope of everyone on earth, even those who sail on distant seas.” (Psalm 65:5)
Father, our circumstances have brought us to the pit of darkest despair. Please reach down and pick us up from this lowly state, and renew our hope in You alone.
We trust in Your Word, Father, and we ask that You would remind us of Your glorious plan. We thank You and praise You that we are a part of this glorious plan You have.
Dear Lord, we commit afresh and anew to placing 100% of our hope and trust in You. We thank You that the hopes of the godly result in happiness (Proverbs 10:28). We praise You for blessing those whose hope and confidence lie in You (Jeremiah 17:7).
We thank You and praise You, Heavenly Father, that Your hope is a strong and trustworthy anchor for our souls that leads us through the curtain into God’s inner sanctuary (Hebrews 6:19).
May we dwell secure in this hope forever, for it is in Your precious, holy name we pray.
AMEN.
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