Living in Hope: Embracing God's Faithfulness Through Prayer

“Goodbye yesterday. I’m living in the light of a new day.” These words remind us that in Christ, we are not bound by our past or by the disappointments that so often come when life doesn’t go as we hoped. We are invited to live in the light of resurrection, to trust that God’s Spirit is at work in us, and to remember that being “born again” is not a one-time event but a continual process of renewal and surrender. God’s faithfulness is not measured by the number of our wishes granted, but by the constancy of His presence, even when our prayers seem to go unanswered.

We all know the ache of disappointment—when we pray for healing, for justice, for relief, and the answer doesn’t come as we expect. Scripture gives us bold promises about prayer, but it also invites us to wrestle honestly with God. Jesus’ words about moving mountains are not a formula for getting what we want, but a call to take our relationship with God seriously, to trust that our prayers matter, and to recognize that God’s ways are not always our ways. We are not called to a transactional faith, but to a living, breathing relationship with the God who knows us.

Mother Teresa’s life is a powerful witness to this truth. For decades, she served the poorest of the poor, often feeling the absence of God more than His nearness. Yet she chose hope, not because she felt it, but as an act of will—a stubborn faith that clings to God’s goodness even in the dark. Like David in the Psalms, she poured out her honest cries to God, holding together both complaint and trust. Prayer, then, is not about perfect words or formulas; it is the honest cry of the heart, the willingness to bring our whole selves before God, trusting that He hears and holds us.

When we feel distant from God, we are invited to remember—to look back and see God’s faithfulness in our lives and in the lives of those who have gone before us. Prayer is not about controlling God or getting results; it is about aligning our hearts with God’s heart, about being shaped and formed in relationship. And as we pray, we become participants in God’s work, the hands and feet of Christ in the world, answering the prayers of others through our love and presence. In all things, may we be honest, persistent, and open to the transforming presence of God.

Key Takeaways

• 1. Disappointment is born from unmet expectations, especially when we treat God like a vending machine or a genie. True faith requires us to move beyond transactional thinking and to trust that God’s presence is not dependent on our circumstances or the immediate answers to our prayers. The invitation is to take Jesus’ words seriously, not always literally, and to seek a relationship with God that is deeper than our desires for quick fixes. [19:54]
• 2. The witness of Mother Teresa teaches us that hope can be a fierce, stubborn choice, even when God feels absent. Her decades of service were marked by spiritual darkness, yet she continued to serve and to pray, recognizing God in the faces of those she served. This kind of faith is not about feeling God’s presence, but about choosing to trust and to act in hope, even when the heart is heavy. [31:16]
• 3. Prayer is the honest cry of the heart, not a performance or a formula. God desires our real selves—our joys, our frustrations, our doubts, and our longings. Like David in the Psalms, we are invited to bring our raw and unfiltered prayers to God, trusting that He can handle our honesty and that He discerns what is best for us, even when our prayers are messy or misguided. [37:46]
• 4. Remembering is a spiritual discipline that grounds us in God’s faithfulness. When we feel alone or abandoned, looking back at the ways God has been present in our lives and in the lives of others can restore our hope. This “rearview mirror ministry” helps us to trust that the God who was faithful before will be faithful again, even when we cannot see it in the present moment. [43:01]
• 5. Prayer aligns us with God’s heart and invites us into participation in God’s work. It is not about controlling outcomes, but about being shaped by God’s presence and becoming more like Christ. As we pray, we are drawn into the “family business” of loving our neighbors, becoming the hands, feet, and voice of God in the world, and sometimes even becoming the answer to someone else’s prayer. [48:33]

Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [04:56] - Living in the Light of a New Day
• [07:37] - Singing of God’s Faithfulness
• [11:06] - Opening Prayer and Community Welcome
• [12:26] - Three Wishes and the Nature of Prayer
• [16:04] - Wrestling with Unanswered Prayer
• [18:41] - Scripture: What Jesus Says About Prayer
• [19:54] - Disappointment and Unmet Expectations
• [21:54] - Taking Scripture Seriously, Not Literally
• [24:36] - Feeling Alone: Mother Teresa’s Story
• [29:16] - Hope as a Stubborn Choice
• [33:11] - David’s Honest Prayers in the Psalms
• [37:46] - Prayer as the Honest Cry of the Heart
• [43:01] - The Power of Remembering
• [44:53] - Prayer Aligns Us with God’s Heart
• [48:33] - Participating in God’s Work Through Prayer
• [51:08] - Communion: Remembering Christ’s Presence
• [53:59] - Testimonies of God’s Faithfulness
• [57:59] - Community Life and Announcements
• [62:17] - Invitation to Serve and Closing Blessing

Bible Reading

Matthew 17:20 (ESV) — > He said to them, “Because of your little faith. For truly, I say to you, if you have faith like a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move, and nothing will be impossible for you.”

Mark 11:24 (ESV) — > Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.

Psalm 22:1-5 (ESV) — > My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?
> Why are you so far from saving me, from the words of my groaning?
> O my God, I cry by day, but you do not answer,
> and by night, but I find no rest.
> Yet you are holy, enthroned on the praises of Israel.
> In you our fathers trusted; they trusted, and you delivered them.
> To you they cried and were rescued;
> in you they trusted and were not put to shame.

Observation Questions

1. In Matthew 17:20 and Mark 11:24, what does Jesus say about the power of faith and prayer? How do these verses sound when read at face value?
2. According to the sermon, what is the difference between taking Jesus’ words “seriously” versus “literally” when it comes to prayer? [[21:54]]
3. In Psalm 22, what emotions does David express in his prayer? How does he move back and forth between complaint and trust? [[35:52]]
4. What example from Mother Teresa’s life did the sermon use to show how someone can keep serving and hoping even when God feels absent? [[26:36]]

Interpretation Questions

1. The sermon says disappointment is the result of unmet expectations, especially when we treat God like a vending machine. What does it mean to move beyond a “transactional” faith? [[19:54]]
2. How does remembering God’s past faithfulness help when we feel alone or our prayers seem unanswered? [[43:01]]
3. Why do you think God invites us to bring our honest, even messy, prayers to Him, as David did in the Psalms? [[37:46]]
4. The sermon talks about prayer aligning us with God’s heart, not the other way around. What does this mean for how we approach prayer and our relationship with God? [[44:53]]

Application Questions

1. Can you think of a time when you felt disappointed because God didn’t answer a prayer the way you hoped? How did you respond, and did it affect your faith? [[19:54]]
2. The sermon shared how Mother Teresa chose hope as an act of will, even when she didn’t feel God’s presence. Is there an area in your life right now where you need to make a stubborn choice to hope or trust God, even if you don’t feel it? [[31:16]]
3. When you pray, do you feel pressure to use the “right” words or formula? How might your prayers change if you focused on being honest with God instead of trying to say things perfectly? [[37:46]]
4. The sermon encouraged us to practice “rearview mirror ministry”—looking back to remember God’s faithfulness. What is one specific way God has been faithful to you in the past that you can remember and give thanks for this week? [[43:01]]
5. Prayer is described as a way to participate in God’s work, sometimes even being the answer to someone else’s prayer. Is there someone in your life right now whose need you could help meet, becoming God’s hands and feet for them? [[48:33]]
6. The sermon says being “born again” is not just a one-time event but a continual process of renewal and surrender. What is one area of your life where you sense God inviting you to let go of the past and live in the light of a new day? [[06:18]]
7. When you feel distant from God, what practical steps could you take to remember His presence and faithfulness, even if your circumstances haven’t changed? [[43:01]]