Unshakable Hope: Building Our Lives on the Promises of God
By Max Lucado
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About this ebook
What feels shaky in your world? Maybe you feel hurt by the past, disappointed by the present, or worried about the future. If so, there is hope. For every problem in life, God has given you a promise.
In the New York Times bestselling book, Unshakable Hope, Max Lucado unpacks 12 of the Bible’s most significant promises, equipping you to overcome difficult circumstances by keeping your focus on the hope found in the promises of Scripture.
Whether it’s heart disease or cancer, job failure or addiction, natural disasters or family disasters, mass murders or mental illness, there are so many reasons to be overwhelmed and hope can feel hard to come by. Now more than ever, we need the definitive declarations of our mighty and loving God.
In this book, you will be reminded that God’s promises are irrevocable because:
- God is unchanging
- God is faithful
- God is strong
- God cannot lie
What is your life built on—the circumstances of life or the promises of God? The answer to that question changes everything. Join Max as he takes a closer look at Scripture’s unbreakable promises and shows you how to live with unshakable hope.
Max Lucado
Since entering the ministry in 1978, Max Lucado has served churches in Miami, Florida; Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; and San Antonio, Texas. He currently serves as the teaching minister of Oak Hills Church in San Antonio. He is the recipient of the 2021 ECPA Pinnacle Award for his outstanding contribution to the publishing industry and society at large. He is America's bestselling inspirational author with more than 150 million products in print. Visit his website at MaxLucado.com Facebook.com/MaxLucado Instagram.com/MaxLucado Twitter.com/MaxLucado Youtube.com/MaxLucadoOfficial The Max Lucado Encouraging Word Podcast
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Reviews for Unshakable Hope
21 ratings3 reviews
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Can’t believe I didn’t review this one. I read one of his just before and right now I’m finishing his newest on Happiness. So right now I can’t remember the details of this one. But I remember that when I put it down I immediately thought that I want to read it again soon. ALL of his books are great. Very inspiring and encouraging. All about trying to be the person God wants us to be, in a good way. Not in a cumbersome, heavy, judgmental way. More in a be kind, keep your sense of humor, give it your best shot and God will help you kind of way.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Another excellent Lucado book.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Great message of where we can find hope and connection with passages found in the bible and the love of Christ. I read this as a daily devotional. Max Lucado's style is simple, direct and conversational - as if he was in my living room as a teacher / pastor.
Book preview
Unshakable Hope - Max Lucado
Praise for Unshakable Hope
I firmly believe God has anointed my dear friend Max Lucado with a gift to communicate His heart to this generation. In his fortieth book, he shares how God’s promises give us a firm foundation on which we can build our lives. The truth is, once you believe the promises of God, you not only have hope, your life is forever changed!
— ROBERT MORRIS, FOUNDING SENIOR PASTOR, GATEWAY CHURCH; BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF THE BLESSED LIFE, THE GOD I NEVER KNEW, AND FREQUENCY
Where do we find our hope and strength when the realities of life devastate and depress us? I love how Max points us to Jesus, our eternal source of help, while highlighting crucial biblical truths and promises we all need to cling to in the midst of our own hard things.
— LYSA TERKEURST, NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF UNINVITED; PRESIDENT, PROVERBS 31 MINISTRIES
"Hope is an increasingly scarce commodity these days. That’s why I’m so grateful for Max Lucado’s voice and for Unshakable Hope. For some people, this book will be a deeply needed reminder of what we already know about God, life, and the future but usually forget. For many others, it will be an introduction on how to finally beat cynicism and discouragement, something the world desperately needs."
— CAREY NIEUWHOF, FOUNDING PASTOR, CONNEXUS CHURCH
Life doesn’t turn out like we expect it to and hope is often in short supply. It’s then that we have to decide what we will place our hope in. With pastoral care and the heart of a friend, Max points us back to the only lasting source of hope, the promises of God. This is a must-read for anyone struggling with purpose, wrestling with despair, or losing trust.
— MARK BATTERSON, NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF THE CIRCLE MAKER; LEAD PASTOR, NATIONAL COMMUNITY CHURCH
God is able and willing to do mighty things through His people who believe Him. When we are at our weakest, God’s unchanging promises to live in and through us are our lifeline. Max Lucado is a hero of the faith and a reliable guide to take us on this journey!
— JENNIE ALLEN, AUTHOR OF NOTHING TO PROVE; FOUNDER AND VISIONARY, IF:GATHERING
"A conversation with a supervisor. The decision of a spouse or a child. An earthquake or a car accident. Almost every day, an unexpected event or unforeseen circumstance arises to remind us how shaky the world is. With the recent and tragic rise of suicide rates, it’s clear that more than ever, people are desperate for an unshakable place to build their lives. I thank God for working through Pastor Max Lucado to give us this precious resource, brimming with Scripture-saturated hope, and leading us to the only unshakable foundation for life—the unfailing promises of God. Unshakable Hope will draw you closer to the God who promises to richly provide for all your needs, and will give you Scripture-based anchor points to hold you through life’s storms. I hope you’ll keep a copy close at hand in every season of life."
—LOUIE GIGLIO, PASTOR, PASSION CITY CHURCH; FOUNDER, PASSION CONFERENCES; AUTHOR OF GOLIATH MUST FALL
Bangor, Maine, is a small town with only a few flights in and out per day yet it boasts an enormous international airport with a two-mile-long runway that can accommodate the largest planes in the world. The reason is strategic, Bangor is the first piece of American soil Atlantic flights hit after twenty-five hundred miles of water. If they are in distress they don’t have to ditch in the ocean if they can just make it to Bangor. The book you hold in your hands offers for your soul what Bangor does for airplanes running on fumes: a safe place to land. Max Lucado does in his fortieth book what has earned him a place of trust in our hearts through the other thirty-nine—he points the way to the miles-long runway of God’s unshakable hope that can handle the weight of your hurt.
—LEVI LUSKO, AUTHOR OF I DECLARE WAR: 4 KEYS TO WINNING THE WAR WITH YOURSELF
In a world where despair and anxiety are at epidemic levels, Max reminds us that our sure and certain hope is found in the unchanging promises of God.
—SHEILA WALSH, AUTHOR OF IT’S OKAY NOT TO BE OKAY
ALSO BY MAX LUCADO
INSPIRATIONAL
3:16
A Gentle Thunder
A Love Worth Giving
And the Angels Were Silent
Anxious for Nothing
Because of Bethlehem
Before Amen
Come Thirsty
Cure for the Common Life
Facing Your Giants
Fearless
Glory Days
God Came Near
Grace
Great Day Every Day
He Chose the Nails
He Still Moves Stones
In the Eye of the Storm
In the Grip of Grace
It’s Not About Me
Just Like Jesus
Max on Life
More to Your Story
Next Door Savior
No Wonder They Call
Him the Savior
On the Anvil
Outlive Your Life
Six Hours One Friday
The Applause of Heaven
The Great House of God
Traveling Light
When Christ Comes
When God Whispers Your Name
You’ll Get Through This
FICTION
Christmas Stories
The Christmas Candle
Miracle at the Higher Grounds Café
BIBLES (GENERAL EDITOR)
Grace for the Moment Daily Bible
The Lucado Life Lessons Study Bible
Children’s Daily Devotional Bible
CHILDREN’S BOOKS
A Max Lucado Children’s Treasury
Do You Know I Love You, God?
God Forgives Me, and I Forgive You
God Listens When I Pray
Grace for the Moment: 365 Devotions for Kids
Hermie, a Common Caterpillar
Itsy Bitsy Christmas
I’m Not a Scaredy Cat
Just in Case You Ever Wonder
Lucado Treasury of Bedtime Prayers
One Hand, Two Hands
Thank You, God,
for Blessing Me
Thank You, God, for Loving Me
The Boy and the Ocean
The Crippled Lamb
The Oak Inside the Acorn
The Tallest of Smalls
You Are Mine
You Are Special
YOUNG ADULT BOOKS
3:16
It’s Not About Me
Make Every Day Count
Wild Grace
You Were Made to Make a Difference
GIFT BOOKS
Fear Not Promise Book
For the Tough Times
God Thinks You’re Wonderful
Grace for the Moment
Grace Happens Here
His Name Is Jesus
Let the Journey Begin
Live Loved
Mocha with Max
Safe in the Shepherd’s Arms
This Is Love
You Changed My Life
© 2018 Max Lucado
All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means—electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, scanning, or other—except for brief quotations in critical reviews or articles, without the prior written permission of the publisher.
Published in Nashville, Tennessee, by Thomas Nelson. Thomas Nelson is a registered trademark of HarperCollins Christian Publishing, Inc.
Thomas Nelson titles may be purchased in bulk for educational, business, fundraising, or sales promotional use. For information, please e-mail [email protected].
Unless otherwise noted, Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com.
Other Scripture references are from the following sources: American Standard Version (ASV). English Standard Version (ESV), © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. God’s Word (GOD’S WORD) is a copyrighted work of God’s Word to the Nations Bible Society. Quotations are used by permission. © 1995 by God’s Word to the Nations Bible Society. All rights reserved. King James Version (KJV). The Message (THE MESSAGE). Copyright © by Eugene H. Peterson 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc. New American Standard Bible® (NASB). Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. (www.Lockman.org). New Century Version® (NCV). © 2005 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved. New King James Version® (NKJV). © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Holy Bible, New Living Translation (NLT). © 1996, 2004, 2007, 2013 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved. New Life Version (NLV). © Christian Literature International. J. B. Phillips: THE NEW TESTAMENT IN MODERN ENGLISH, Revised Edition (PHILLIPS). © J. B. Phillips 1958, 1960, 1972. Used by permission of Macmillan Publishing Co., Inc. Revised Standard Version of the Bible (RSV), copyright 1946, 1952, and 1971 National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved. The Living Bible (TLB). Copyright © 1971. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Epub Edition June 2018 9780718096458
ISBN: 978-0-7180-9614-4 (HC)
ISBN: 978-1-4002-1212-5 (signed)
ISBN: 978-0-7180-7422-7 (IE)
ISBN: 978-0-7180-9645-8 (Ebook)
Library of Congress Control Number: 2018936435
Printed in the United States of America
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For Mikal and Tammy Watts.
Your love and generosity remind us of Jesus.
We thank God for your unshakable faith and friendship.
He plunged into the promise and came up strong.
—Romans 4:20 THE MESSAGE
Contents
Acknowledgments
1. God’s Great and Precious Promises
2. Stamped with God’s Image
3. The Devil’s Days Are Numbered
4. An Heir of God
5. Your Prayers Have Power
6. Grace for the Humble
7. God Gets You
8. Christ Is Praying for You
9. No Condemnation
10. This Temporary Tomb
11. Joy Is Soon Coming
12. You Will Have Power
13. Justice Will Prevail
14. Unbreakable Promises, Unshakable Hope
Questions for Reflection
Notes
Acknowledgments
Forty.
Noah floated for 40 days in the flood.
Moses spent 40 years in the desert.
The Hebrews wandered 40 years in the wilderness.
Jesus endured 40 days of temptation.
There’s something significant about the number 40.
So, if you’ll allow me to mention the fact, this is my fortieth book. No one could be more grateful than I am. To think that God would let a converted drunk prone to self-promotion and self-centeredness, write one page, much less forty books’ worth, is yet another testimony to his goodness and grace.
Thank you, Father.
And thank you to this invaluable team of colleagues and friends.
•Karen Hill and Liz Heaney—editors who set the highest standard.
•Carol Bartley—incomparable copy editor.
•Steve and Cheryl Green—in some language your names mean faithful and true.
For indeed you are.
•The HCCP superheroes: Mark Schoenwald, David Moberg, Brian Hampton, Mark Glesne, Jessalyn Foggy, LeeEric Fesko, Janene MacIvor, Debbie Nichols, and Laura Minchew.
•Brand team managers Greg and Susan Ligon. You could not possibly be more efficient. And I could not possibly be more grateful.
•Administrative assistants Janie Padilla and Margaret Mechinus. For all you do, thank you!
•The staff of the Oak Hills Church—we’ve learned to stand on promises together.
•Our splendid family—Brett, Jenna, Rosie and Max; Andrea; Jeff and Sara. No dad or grandpa could be prouder.
•And Denalyn, my dear wife.
Had I the pen of a poet,
had I the stars to give you,
even then I couldn’t show it,
I couldn’t show the love I have for you.
CHAPTER 1
God’s Great and Precious Promises
GOD’S PROMISE
[God] has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature.
—2 Peter 1:4
The contrast between the rabbi and the king was stark. The Jew was old and bent. He had no bodily advantage. Two years in prison had left him gaunt, his cheeks hollow and smudged. His purse had but a few coins and his entourage but a couple of friends. Baldness laureled his head. His beard was full yet gray. He wore the simple cloak of a teacher, a traveling teacher. Compared to the king, he was simple, impoverished. Of course, compared to this king, most people were simple and impoverished. King Agrippa entered the court that day with great pomp. He and his sister were arrayed in purple. Roman legionnaires followed. Agrippa was the appointed ruler, the curator of religion, and the overseer of the area.
Paul, by contrast, was a simple missionary. He had every reason to fear the judgment of this monarch. The king was the latest in the Herod dynasty, the last of the Herods who would meddle with Christ or his followers. His great-grandfather attempted to kill baby Jesus by slaughtering the children of Bethlehem. His granduncle murdered John the Baptist, and his father, Agrippa I, executed James and imprisoned Peter.
You might say they had it out for the people in Jesus’ circle.
And now Paul stood before him. He was in prison, and in trouble, for preaching a new religion. How would the apostle defend himself? Appeal for mercy? Call for a miracle? In what was arguably the most important speech of his life, how would Paul present his case? After a word of introduction, he said, And now it is because of my hope in what God has promised our ancestors that I am on trial today
(Acts 26:6).
Paul’s defense included no reference to his accomplishments. (I have been known to call a person back from the dead, you know.
) He demanded no preferential treatment. (I am a Roman citizen.
) He didn’t attempt to justify his actions. (I was only being open-minded.
) None of that. His only justification was this: I believed in the promises of God.
So did Abraham and Isaac and Jacob. Add to that list Noah, Mary, a prophet named Isaiah, and a preacher named Peter.
The heroes in the Bible came from all walks of life: rulers, servants, teachers, doctors. They were male, female, single, and married. Yet one common denominator united them: they built their lives on the promises of God. Because of God’s promises, Noah believed in rain before rain was a word. Because of God’s promises, Abraham left a good home for one he’d never seen. Because of God’s promises, Joshua led two million people into enemy territory. Because of God’s promises, David conked a giant, Peter rose from the ashes of regret, and Paul found a grace worth dying for.
One writer went so far as to call such saints heirs of the promise
(Heb. 6:17 NASB). It is as if the promise was the family fortune, and they were smart enough to attend the reading of the will.
By faith Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, in holy fear built an ark to save his family. . . .