"Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast..." - Hebrews 6:19
Life can be very difficult at times, especially when we face hardships, difficulties, pain, loss and disappointment. All these things can push us towards hopelessness. The Bible tells the story of a man named Job who went through it all, but he held on to HOPE in God that sustained him. Here’s some things to consider when you feel like you are loosing HOPE:
We must look to God when others fail us (see Job 13:1-16). People will let you down, turn on you and hurt you, either intentionally or unintentionally. When this happens, we must look past the criticism of others like Job did, and affirm our faith & trust in God no matter what happens. Job 13:15-16 says, “Though he slay me, yet will I trust (hope) in him. He also shall be my salvation, For a hypocrite could not come before Him.” However, we must also be careful to always hear what God may say through others. There was a fourth friend, Elihu, who remained silent while the others tried to put Job down and accused him of wrong. Elihu speaks in ch.32-37 & he seems to be the only one who speaks truthfully. God will often show us things about ourselves through others and when it’s true, we must accept it and learn from it.
James 5:13 tells us, “Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray.” We must turn to God when we feel hopeless and pray to Him for strength and help. We must pray in faith (Mark 11:24) and believe in the promises of God’s Word that He will help those who turn to Him with their whole heart. When we face other types of difficulties or hardships in life, we must maintain a right attitude and remain faithful to God.
Philippians 4:4-9
4 Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice!
5 Let your gentleness be known to all men. The Lord is at hand.
6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God;
7 and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
8 Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy––meditate on these things.
9 The things which you learned and received and heard and saw in me, these do, and the God of peace will be with you.
Even when you don’t FEEL like it, you must CHOOSE to REJOICE in the Lord. Start praising God with your mouth and glorify Him out loud. Your attitude is your choice! Work through any anxiety you have through prayer – go to God in prayer about it and pour your heart out to the Lord and rejoice in the knowledge that He hears you and will help you! Stop Stressin’ because it’s Depressin’! When we pray, God will give us peace in our hearts and minds that will sustain us.
However, you can’t stop here. You’ve also got to maintain the right thoughts in your mind. Paul goes on to tell us to “think” on the right things. You become what you believe and what you think determines what you do and affects how you feel! So, want to change your feelings of hopelessness? Then change what you think and line up your beliefs with what God says in His Word! Once you get your head in the game, you can then do what God says and hope will come.
If you need prayer or someone to talk to, please contact us and someone from our church will be glad to talk to you and minister to you in ways that will encourage you and lift you up. Send us your prayer requests as well and we will pray for your needs and believe God for the answer you need.