Hope at the End of Your Rope
“You’re blessed when you’re at the end of your rope. With less of you there is more of God and His rule.”
Matthew 5:3 (MSG)
Sometimes, God allows major problems and pain in our lives to bring us to the end of our rope. Maybe you find yourself there right now, and you don’t know what to do. You feel helpless. You’re asking yourself, Why? How did this happen? What do I do now? As painful as it feels and as strange as this sounds, you’re really in a good place if you’re at the end of your rope. Why? Because it’s at the end of our rope where we find hope. If you’ve never been there, hold on. You will one day. So, whether you’re there now or will be, Jesus offers the first of eight beatitudes that promise blessing. If you look it up, the word “blessing” really means “happiness.” The Amplified Bible translates the word “blessed” as “happy, to be envied, and spiritually prosperous – with life-joy and satisfaction in God’s favor and salvation, regardless of their outward conditions.” WOW!
The truth is, you may be at the end of your rope, but you’re not at the end of your hope! Jesus said that those who are at the end of their rope understand what it means to be poor in spirit. Only those who are poor in spirit recognize their inability to live the Christian life. They’ve come to that breaking point that admits – I can’t do this, Lord, You never said I could, but You can and always said You would! Out of that absolute sense of futility, they discover the adequacy of God to do what only God can do. Little wonder Jesus begins the list of beatitudes with this first recognition that is essential to the Christian life. It is the entrance to a blessed life! Oswald Chambers writes, “The knowledge of our own poverty brings us to the moral frontier where Jesus Christ works.” It’s there, at the end of our rope, where we find hope! And that hope has a name – Jesus Christ! He is our blessed hope!
Another important part of your daily devotional is spending time with God in prayer. The Woodlands Church Prayer Board lists prayer requests submitted by our members and provides a way to send them some encouragement by using a button on the page to let them know that you prayed for them. Whether you use the Prayer Board, or pray from your heart, the goal is to build the habit of incorporating prayer into your quiet time.
Need prayer yourself? Let us know by submitting a prayer request on the Woodlands Church Prayer Board.