Devotional from Gina, Grace Church MomCo Coordinator

 I wanted to put together a short devotional to wrap up the year. I want to share a little of what God has taught me as a Mom and through MomCo but I also want to give you some encouragement on how to have Wild Hope this summer. 

I decided to go back to our theme bible passage of the year which is from the book of Isaiah,  Isaiah 43:18-19 “Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.” 

I think the thought behind choosing this passage is this; this past year our organization got a new name. They went from MOPS and MOMs Next to The MomCo, or the Mom Community if you needed a refresher. Not the Mom Company like I originally thought haha. With the name change they were hoping to rebrand as a community group for Moms of all ages, not just mothers of preschoolers as the name MOPS connotes. But I think they missed the mark a little. 

If we look at the context of this passage, God’s people, the Israelites, had just been told they were going to be taken into captivity by the nation of Babylon. Instead of following after God, they had turned their back on Him, going after idols and participating in many sinful practices. God had been so patient with them but ultimately there would be consequences for their disobedience. The reason why He says forget the former things, do not dwell on the past is because God is offering them forgiveness and reconciliation. He is making a way in the wilderness, making streams of water in the wasteland. Not only that, but as we see all throughout the book of Isaiah, He is sending a Savior, Jesus Christ, God in the flesh. Fully human, fully God. Hundreds of years after the book of Isaiah is written Jesus will be born of a virgin, live a perfect life, performing miracles and teaching, and then He will shock the world and willingly give up His life on the cross, effectively paying the price of our sin. But that wasn’t the end, no, then 3 days later, when everyone could be sure that He had truly died, He will rise again, having victory not just over sin but of death itself. 

So how does this connect to having Wild Hope? Let’s look at the beginning of Isaiah 43

The Lord says: “Fear not, for I have redeemed you. I have called you by name. You are mine.” We do not have to fear death. We do not have to fear condemnation. We can have forgiveness if we simply ask. The word redeemed means the price has been paid. We couldn’t pay the price for our sin on our own, we can’t reach God on our own. We need Jesus. I need Jesus every day. 

I often can get bogged down as a mom. As I lay in bed I think about all the ways I’ve messed up, the times I’ve lost my cool, lost my temper, said something I shouldn’t have. We all can feel “mom guilt” at times. But we do not have to let that control us. When our mind tries to go there and say “you’re a bad mom, your family would be better off without you, you are unlovable, unforgivable, unwanted” We can preach to ourselves that we have full forgiveness in Jesus. The Bible says He has cast our sins as far as the east is from the west. There is no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus.  

The next verse is Isaiah 43 is just as encouraging. It says: When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; And through the rivers, they shall not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, Nor shall the flame scorch you. For I am the LORD your God.” This verse isn’t to be taken literally, it was a comforting promise from God, assuring His people that even when they face trials, difficulties, and testing as represented by the water and fire, He will be with them and they will not be overcome or destroyed.Back then, the Israelites were about to go through some extremely hard times. They were about to be forcibly removed from their homes and forced to live as exiles for decades. 

You and I will go through hard times, maybe even this summer. I do not know what the future holds for you. But I do know that when you pass through the waters, God will be with you. When you pass through the rivers, they will not overtake you. And when you walk through the fire, you will not be burned. This does not mean that it will be easy but there is peace and comfort knowing that the Lord will never leave your side, resting in the truth that one day He will work all things together for good. I can attest to this myself. You see the word redeemed can also mean restoration, brokenness restored and made whole again. 

To close, my summer prayer for this group is that you will be overflowing with hope for the future. Times may seem dark but we can trust that God is in control. And when we have this secure hope in God, we can live life passionately, with endurance, while being open to receive help when we need it.