«THAT WE MIGHT HAVE HOPE»
«For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through the endurance taught in the Scriptures and the encouragement they provide we might have hope» (Romans 15:4, NIV).
IN HIS FAMOUS Letter to the Romans, the apostle Paul said, «Everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through the endurance taught in the Scriptures and the encouragement they provide we might have hope» (Romans 15:4, NIV). Although the Scriptures were written thousands of years ago, they were actually written for us, so that they would contribute to our well-being; theréfore, their validity doesn’t have an expiration date. From Moses to our days, the Scriptures have filled with color the gray days of men and women who have turned to the sacred text in search of answers for their existential emptiness. Reading the Bible is an infallible method for us to «have hope.»
Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the American Bible Society and Harvard University’s Human Flourishing Program conducted a study that proves the truth of Paul’s millenary words. After studying one thousand people for six months, researchers found that the more we read the Bible, the more hope we have. According to Tyler VanderWeele, director of Harvard University’s Human Flourishing Program, reading the Bible contributes «to people’s sense of well-being and happiness.»
In an age in which «happiness; personal, mental, and physical satisfaction; a sense of purpose and meaning; and material and financial stability have declined,» the Bible is still an endless source of hope and safety for those who choose to make it their instruction manual. And at a time in which problems have hit us with full force, the Bible’s words have restored in us the comfort and hope we have needed to remain standing when our world seems to be upside down.
Amid a distressing situation, the psalmist exclaimed, «Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise Him, my Savior and my God» (Psalm 42:5, NIV). That should be our attitude! «We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure» (Hebrews 6:19, NIV).
If we cling to the Word, we will see that there is hope for our future.
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Taken from: Devotional Readings for Adults 2023
“I AM WITH YOU”
From: J. VLADIMIR POLANCO
Collaborators: Lorina Maya & Angelica Cuate