Feeling Hopeless?

Hope is the anchor of our souls (Hebrews 6:19).  It keeps us from losing it all when the storms of life beat against us.  What about when I’m about to give up hope?  What if my situation looks so bleak that I feel hopeless?  While no quick, magic answer can be given in a few words to instantly remedy the most difficult situations we face in life, there are some truths from God’s word that can help us from giving up hope.

1. God created you, a human being, in His image (Genesis 1:26). You are of immense value to God (Luke 12:7).  He is the Father of our spirits (Hebrews 12:9).  All souls belong to Him (Ezekiel 18:4).  God gave us an eternal soul, and no matter what happens to us in this life, we can choose to be faithful to Him and, after death, return to Him to live forever in a place far better than anything this world has to offer (Ecclesiastes 12:7).
2. As part of the body of Christ, the church, you are important (Romans 12:4-5; 1 Corinthians 12:18-22). You may feel unloved, but you are an important part of God’s family who can help growth occur through love (Ephesians 4:16).
3. Jesus understands your pain. He knows what it is like to live in the flesh (Hebrews 2:14).  He was made like His brethren in order to be a merciful high priest (Hebrews 2:17).  While He was here in the flesh, He cried (Hebrews 5:7).  Even though He knows the solution to our problems, He still weeps with us because of our pain (John 11:35).  He even asked in agony on the cross, “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?” (Matthew 27:46).
4. Help is available. We can always say, “My help cometh from the LORD, which made heaven and earth” (Psalm 121:2).  God is with us even in the valley of the shadow of death (Psalm 23:4).  He hears our cries of distress (Psalm 18:6).

As we are reminded of the hope we still have, we must take life a day at a time (Matthew 6:34).  When we gradually regain our resolve and confidence in God, day by day, we can make decisions as they come.  Remember we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us (Philippians 4:13).  There are many things we cannot control, but when it comes to what we can control, we must work out our own salvation, by doing our part to overcome the trials that come our way (Philippians 2:12; cf. Galatians 6:5). “Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost” (Romans 15:13).

-Mark Day