Lutheran Daily Devotional 18 October 2022: Is There Any Hope?

Lutheran Daily Devotional 18 October 2022 || Tuesday Message By Lutheran Hour Ministries

Read Lutheran Daily Devotional 18 October 2022

TOPIC: Is There Any Hope?

TODAY’S SCRIPTURE: Genesis 4:1-2a, 8-9, 11-12 – Now Adam knew Eve his wife, and she conceived and bore Cain, saying, “I have gotten a man with the help of the LORD.” And again, she bore his brother Abel. … Cain spoke to Abel his brother. And when they were in the field, Cain rose up against his brother Abel and killed him. Then the LORD said to Cain, … “The voice of your brother’s blood is crying to Me from the ground.

And now you are cursed from the ground, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand. When you work the ground, it shall no longer yield to you its strength. You shall be a fugitive and a wanderer on the earth.”

Genesis 4 is not a fun chapter. Eve gives birth to two children, and you can hear the hope in her voice when she says, “I have gotten a man with the help of the Lord.” She sees Cain as a blessing—maybe even as the fulfillment of God’s promise to save the human race from the grief and trouble they’d gotten themselves into. But it didn’t turn out that way. Cain killed his brother Abel in a fit of jealousy and has to leave home forever. And their parents are left to grieve.

Of course, this is the natural result of the first human beings disobeying God back in the garden of Eden. You can’t rebel against God and expect your life to go smoothly. That first sin of disobedience grew and multiplied and contaminated every area of life—work, family and children, even worship.

So it’s not a happy chapter. And yet, we can see one glowing piece of good news. God is still there—providing for their needs, trying to get them back on track. He has not forgotten them. He has not turned His back on them. If evil is there, God is right there with them too—and He will save them.

The road ahead of Adam and Eve was much longer than they imagined. It would be ages before the promised Savior would be born, and that time would be filled with plenty of trouble and grief.

But God was getting ready to send Jesus—God’s own Son, born as a human baby into the family of Adam and Eve, “a Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief” (Isaiah 53:3b). God did not leave us alone—He came into the middle of our suffering and sadness Himself. He came to save us by laying down His own life for us on the cross—yes, and by rising from the dead three days later, never to die again.

On that first Easter day, Jesus broke the power of death over the human race. He destroyed the ancient curse and set us free from the power of sin and evil. Now, everyone who trusts in Him becomes a member of God’s family, God’s people. Our exile from the garden of Eden is over. Through His suffering, death, and resurrection, Jesus is bringing us back to God forever in paradise.

WE PRAY: Dear Lord, let me find hope in You in the middle of my troubled life. Amen.

This Daily Devotion was written by Dr. Kari Vo.

Reflection Questions:

1. What are some of the troubles that are weighing heavy on you right now?

2. How have you seen God caring for you during these hard times?

3. How does Jesus give you help right now and hope for the future?

Today’s Bible Readings: Jeremiah 1-2    Acts 26

Lutheran Daily Devotional 18 October 2022 from LHM will help strengthen and encourage your faith as you do the same for others. Have them delivered right to your inbox, podcast the audio devotional, access them on your mobile device through the FREE app, or listen with Spotify, iHeart Radio, Alexa, or Google Home. Seasonal Devotions for Advent and Lent are also available in both English and Spanish. Perfect for personal reflection or to share with family, friends and congregations, these seasonal meditations will help prepare you to celebrate the true meaning of these seasons.