“Hope can see heaven through the thickest clouds.”
Thomas Benton Brooks
This year has been difficult, unprecedented, full of twists and turns, a swirl of emotions, and unpleasant surprises. Yet, in times like these, the Christian can still find hope during circumstances of uncertainty.
The book of Lamentations is about the suffering the Israelites experienced while in exile. They encountered affliction and tribulation which bore the fruits of bitterness, a lack of peace, forgetting what prosperity even looked like, and they came to the end of themselves as their endurance diminished. Feeling hopeless is a scary place to be.
When discouragement targets your heart, do like the author of Lamentations did: recall to mind the truths in God’s Word. “Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope: Because of the LORD’S great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. I say to myself, ‘The LORD is my portion; therefore I will wait for him.’ The LORD is good to those whose hope is in him, to the one who seeks him” (Lamentations 3:21-25).
Tell yourself these truths when the temptation to become hopeless knocks on the door of your heart:
God’s steadfast love is ceaseless.
As sure as the sun rises every morning, so is God’s mercy. It’s dependable, reliable, and you can count on it. God never runs low of mercy.
God’s faithfulness is more than enough.
He is exactly what we need in every situation.
The Lord is good.
Hang on to hope when you get to the end of your rope. Declare out loud the above truths about who God is until a flicker of hope begins to spark in your heart. Climb out of your hopelessness by tapping into and focusing upon God’s faithfulness in the midst of your suffering and your hope will be restored. It’s never too late to have hope.
“Other men see only a hopeless end, but the Christian rejoices in an endless hope.”
Gilbert Brenken
Relevant Reflections:
In what situation is your hope wavering?
Tell yourself the truth by declaring the above statements about God’s character.