A Living Hope
Your Nightly Prayer for Dec. 20, 2024
by Mike Leake
TONIGHT'S SCRIPTURE
"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead." - 1 Peter 1:3
SOMETHING TO PONDER
Who doesn’t like a good comeback story? If you watched 1980s wrestling, you know that “comeback story” could describe every Hulk Hogan match. The hero would get pummeled. It looked like he was at the brink of death, Hulkamania dead forever. But then, suddenly, through the cheers of the adoring fans, the Hulkster would come alive. Comeback stories are so appealing because we’ve all had times when we felt like our backs were against the ropes and our hopes were dashed. But did you know there is an even better story? It’s the ultimate comeback story. According to 1 Peter 1:3, we were “born again”. In order to be born again, you have to die, right? That’s what resurrection means—to be brought back to life.
Peter is telling us here that the resurrection of Christ is ours. Resurrection isn’t being on the brink of death and then coming back—it’s being dead. It’s saying that someone with no life in their body—three days in the grave—smell of death all around, is suddenly walking around and eating fish. Peter is telling us that if you’re in Chris,t this has happened to you. You were dead, and now you’ve been given a new life. Not a second chance but a complete and total reorientation of your life.
Peter’s audience is those who are suffering. The resurrection has quite a bit to say about suffering. It tells us that our suffering doesn’t get the last word. That’s why he says we have a living hope. Our hope is living because the ground of our hope is the resurrected Christ. It’s not founded upon a historical event but upon a living person. A living person who is there for you today no matter what you are facing. Your hope is alive because Christ is alive. And because Christ is alive, you and I are truly alive.
YOUR NIGHTLY PRAYER
Father, you are blessed. I praise You as the God of life. You are the one who brings the dead to life. You alone give us living hope through Christ. I confess that so often, I place my hope in things that fade, things that do not have life in them. Forgive me for this. And thank you for the gift of a living hope. Jesus, you are the living hope. I entrust myself to you.
Lord, I praise You as the God of life, the One who brings the dead to life and gives to me a living hope through the resurrection of Christ. Help me to confidently trust you. In Jesus name, Amen.
THREE THINGS TO MEDITATE UPON
1. A time when you needed a comeback. How is the resurrection life even better?
2. An area of your life that needs hope
3. That the resurrection of Christ will get the last word over your life
Photo Credit: ©Unsplash/Caleb Stokes
Mike Leake is husband to Nikki and father to Isaiah and Hannah. He is also the lead pastor at Calvary of Neosho, MO. Mike is the author of Torn to Heal and Jesus Is All You Need. His writing home is http://mikeleake.net and you can connect with him on Twitter @mikeleake. Mike has a new writing project at Proverbs4Today.
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Originally published Friday, 20 December 2024.
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