For DAD Only:
Hopeful or Hope-filled
Romans 8:25 But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it.
Dad, do you ever get discouraged when working with your kids? Do you succumb to depression, thinking that after all the training and instruction you’ve given them, they’ve still let you down and stole out of the cookie jar anyway?
Your attitude depends on your focus. Do you look at your kids’ faults too much? If so, you will feel hopeless. You will find yourself saying things like “I hope my kids turn out all right.” That’s a lie. If you are saying such a thing, it indicates that you don’t have any hope at all.
Hope doesn’t depend on circumstances. Hope reshapes your world. Hope isn’t maybe. Hope is the byproduct of faith in God. Believing hearts are filled with faith. Hope is confidence that good wins over evil. Hope trumps worry and trashes fear. A person who has believed in the Lord unto salvation doesn’t say, “I hope heaven is real.” He says, “I know heaven is real and I plan to go.”
If life has got you down, you need to find something else to focus on, other than life. If your kids depress you, stop looking at them and look more at Jesus. Get your eyes on your future in God, and you will find hope reawaken in your heart.
A sense of anticipation brings up the morale and attitude of all whom it contacts. Great things happen to those who expect them. Worry warts, too, get their dreams fulfilled. Focus on God and what He will do, and your life will become hope-filled.
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Dad, read this story with your kids:
Unashamed Hope
Last time, Rusty prayed that Misty would be healed of her sickness. He and his parents also prayed that God would help them get the truck fixed without it costing a lot. Dad had just received a phone call from the repair garage.
“So what did he say?” Rusty asked, as Dad hung up the phone.
“He said the only thing wrong with the truck was a broken belt.”
“Is that expensive?” Mom asked.
“No. Not at all. He had the belt we needed in stock so he’s already put it on. It’s only going to cost us thirty bucks!”
“That’s it?” Mom said. “Not five hundred dollars like last time?”
“Nope. Labor and materials only came to fifty dollars, and my travel club paid for the towing.”
“Woo-hoo!” Rusty said. “See? We prayed and God solved our problem.”
“Yes, He did!” Dad grabbed Rusty by the shoulders and looked into his eyes. “Rusty, do you know what you are filled with?”
Rusty shrugged.
“Hope.”
“Hope?”
“Yes. You believe in God to answer your prayers, and that fills you with hope.”
“What does hope mean?” Rusty asked.
“Hope is a sense of expectancy that God is going to do something big. You look forward to God answering your prayers.”
“I have hope that God will do great things,” Rusty said. “Like with Misty…”
“What’s everyone one doing out here?” said a yawning voice from the doorway.
“Misty!” Rusty said.
“Hey, look who’s back from the dead,” Dad joked.
Mom put her hand on Misty’s forehead. “How do you feel, sweetheart?”
“Good,” she said, stretching her arms and giving a sleepy smile.
“Are you sure you’re better, Misty?” Dad asked.
Misty nodded and Mom said, “Her fever’s gone.”
“Yes!” Rusty said, “I knew it! She’s healed.”
“God answered our prayer, Rusty,” Misty said.
“Yes, He did,” Dad said.
“Are you a little bit hungry?” Mom asked as she brought Misty over to the kitchen table.
“Yes, but not for cake.”
Mom laughed. “No, the cake is for the wedding tonight. How about I get you a piece of fruit?”
“Sure, thanks,” Misty said.
Dad looked at the clock. “Well, I better see if I can get my co-worker to drop me off at the garage on his way back to work.”
“Don’t forget the checkbook,” Mom reminded him.
“Great, thanks.”
While Dad called his friend, Mom fixed a few sandwiches for everyone to eat together for a quick lunch. After they ate, Dad had to run out the door to catch a ride over to get the truck out of the shop. Misty wanted to take a bath. And Rusty helped Mom as she finished up the cake decorations.
Rusty went out to the minivan and folded down the back seat. He and Mom carried the cakes out in boxes together. They gently slid them into the back of the van, making sure not to drop or bump them. Once all the cake stuff had been loaded, they got dressed into nicer clothes and got ready to leave.
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How does this story go with our memory verse?
Love hopes all things.
What is hope?
Expectancy.
What was Rusty hoping for?
That Dad’s truck would get fixed cheap and that Misty would feel better soon.
What are you hoping to see God do?
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Read the following scripture with the family:
The Woman with Nothing but Hope
Mark 5:24-34
And Jesus went with him; and much people followed him, and thronged him.
And a certain woman, which had an issue of blood twelve years, and had suffered many things of many physicians, and had spent all that she had, and was nothing bettered, but rather grew worse, when she had heard of Jesus, came in the press behind, and touched his garment. For she said, If I may touch but his clothes, I shall be whole. And straightway the fountain of her blood was dried up; and she felt in her body that she was healed of that plague.
And Jesus, immediately knowing in himself that virtue had gone out of him, turned him about in the press, and said, Who touched my clothes?
And his disciples said unto him, Thou seest the multitude thronging thee, and sayest thou, Who touched me?
And he looked round about to see her that had done this thing.
But the woman fearing and trembling, knowing what was done in her, came and fell down before him, and told him all the truth.
And he said unto her, Daughter, thy faith hath made thee whole; go in peace, and be whole of thy plague.
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What motivated the woman to come to Jesus?
Hope that He would heal her.
What had she all ready tried?
Doctors. She’d spent all her money and never got better.
What does Romans 8:25 say about hope?
What does Hebrews 11:1 say about hope?
How does the faith we talked about last week work together with hope?
Faith gives us hope. Our hope is built on our confidence in God. When we believe in His promises, we are filled with anticipation of what He will do.
Role Play: You believe that God is going to answer your prayer. Someone frowns at you and says, “That will never happen.” How do you feel? How do you react?