Have you ever been in a situation where you feel hopeless? Hopelessness is thinking that there is no solution to your problem, no way out or forward. It’s the way many of us feel during the COVID 19 pandemic.
Hopelessness is wanting to give up. That’s how my wife and I felt when we found out that our daughter was addicted to heroin. It was like a darkness fell over our family. Have you ever been there?
Many things can make us feel similar; a loved one passes away, you receive news from your doctor that you never thought you would hear, or maybe you find out that your position at work has been eliminated.
Feeling hopeless can affect every one of us, and it can take us to a very dark place. So how can we find hope when life seems hopeless?
There is a common phrase that people use that says, “I’m hoping for the best and preparing for the worst.” If that is my thinking, then I am not going to have much hope. Hope does not wish for the best because let’s be honest, how hopeful is that? In the bible, hope means a confident expectation; This sounds good but a confident expectation in what? Myself, my spouse, a circumstance? Our hope must be in something that is rock solid, secure, and immovable.
Secondly, hope cannot be based on a situation changing. If I get good news from the doctor, if I find a new job, if our daughter gets into rehab, then I will have hope. This kind of thinking doesn’t work because what happens when the situation doesn’t change? Or what happens when we don’t get the results that we were looking for? Hope needs to be sure. It needs to be something that we can hold on to.
Thirdly, hope cannot rely on our control. If I do certain things or I fix the situation, then everything will be ok. If I try harder, then my marriage will turn around. If I’m more consistent with my children, then they will be more obedient. Those things may help temporarily, but they will not bring lasting hope. Hope doesn’t need to be dependent on our strength; it needs to be dependent on God’s power.
When we feel hopeless, we feel like we are out of control, and the truth is, we are. It is when we give up that control that we can turn it over to God. If God is our hope, then we can be assured that He is not out of God’s control.
He is big enough to handle our mistakes, our pain, and our uncertainties.
Psalm 46:1 says God is our refuge and strength, always ready to help in times of trouble.
When it says that He is our refuge, it means that He is our place of safety.
Isaiah 40:31 says, but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.
Do you feel weak and exhausted? Turn to God, and He will renew your strength. He is always available to us. He is just waiting for us to give Him an invitation. When we go to Him, we will find comfort and peace. There is no better place to go when we need hope. I don’t know what you are facing in your life, but I do know where you can go when you feel hopeless. Turn to the God of Hope today.
Rick