Press the arrow to listen to Leeland sing “Count Me In” while reading today’s devotion about hope.

Scripture
“We are doomed to die!” he said to his wife. “We have seen God!” But his wife answered, “If the LORD had meant to kill us, he would not have accepted a burnt offering and grain offering from our hands, nor shown us all these things or now told us this.” Judges 13:22-23

Observation
Life can go well. God can answer a prayer. But we can still assume the worst.

Manoah was in that boat. God called at his door and gave a promise of a child to their empty home. But he feared the worst. He thought that God would kill him for opening the door.

I love Mrs. Manoah. She is nameless in the Bible but priceless. With earthy pragmatism she pointed to all the good things that God had done for them and concluded: would God have brought us so far to kill us?

Application
There are days I fear the worst. There is a residual fear that comes from our days without Christ that lingers on us like smoke smell in our clothes. But when I consider all that God has done for me in the past twenty-nine years of following him, it is hard to imagine that he has brought me thus far to embarrass me. There are many more glad and happy surprises that he has in store for my life. I’ve opened the door and seen the face of God and I believe that he won’t kill me for it!

Prayer
Father, today I dare to believe even better things are to come. Amen.