Discouragement - Part 7 - Finding Hope

Discouragement and hope are enemies. As hope dwindles, discouragement thrives; when hope grows, discouragement is squelched. Unfortunately, the discouraged person often feels as if there is no hope. While it may be true that there are some unchangeable circumstances in his life, there is always hope. Hope always exists because God always exists. God is the one who gives hope and meaning to a life, even when reflection on that life seems to deny the possibility of hope. This God of hope can provide hope at all times through the truth of His Word.

God gave the Scriptures so that Christians can have hope - even abundant hope. "For whatever was written in earlier times was written for our instruction, so that through perseverance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope. Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you will abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit" (Romans 15:4,13).

The Word is a source of hope because it is a shelter, defense, and protection from the onslaughts of life. "Remember the word to Your servant, in which You have made me hope. You are my hiding place and my shield; I wait for Your word. Sustain me according to Your word, that I may live; and do not let me be ashamed of my hope" (Psalm 119:49,114,116).

The Scriptures provide hope as they reveal truth about the amazing God who is worthy of trust. The believer can hope in God because God answers when he calls. "For I hope in You, O LORD; You will answer, O LORD my God" (Psalm 38:15).

The believer can hope in God because God has been a constant source of hope throughout life. "For You are my hope; O Lord GOD, You are my confidence from my youth. But as for me, I will hope continually, and will praise You yet more and more" (Psalm 71:5,14).

The believer can hope in God because He shows lovingkindness and rescues His children. "I wait for the LORD, my soul does wait, and in His word do I hope. O Israel, hope in the LORD; for with the LORD there is lovingkindness, and with Him is abundant redemption" (Psalm 130:5,7).

The believer can hope in God because God is faithful every day and continually shows His compassionate kindness. "This I recall to my mind, therefore have I hope. The LORD's lovingkindnesses indeed never cease, for His compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness. The LORD is good to those who wait for Him, to the person who seeks Him. It is good that he waits silently for the salvation of the LORD" (Lamentations 3:21-26).

The believer can hope in God because God is always with him to protect him. "I have set the LORD continually before me; because He is at my right hand, I will not be shaken. Therefore my heart is glad and my glory rejoices; my flesh also will dwell securely" (Psalm 16:9).

The believer can hope in God because God cannot lie. All of the truths that He reveals about Himself and about His care for His children are completely true. "So that by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have taken refuge would have strong encouragement to take hold of the hope set before us. This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, a hope both sure and steadfast and one which enters within the veil" (Hebrews 6:18-19).

It is a wonderful realization to know that God can be depended on and will not fail those who hope in Him. "And now, Lord, for what do I wait? My hope is in You" (Psalm 39:7).

The one who hopes and trusts in God is blessed, particular in his soul which is so much in need of God's blessing. "Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD and whose trust is in the LORD" (Jeremiah 17:7).

The one who hopes and trusts in God is able to rejoice even in the midst of difficulties. "Rejoicing in hope, persevering in tribulation, devoted to prayer" (Romans 12:12).

The one who hopes and trusts in God is not only comforted in his own heart, but is also able to minister to others. "Now may our Lord Jesus Christ Himself and God our Father, who has loved us and given us eternal comfort and good hope by grace, comfort and strengthen your hearts in every good work and word" (II Thessalonians 2:16).

Hope is not always the easiest thing. Sometimes life seems to call out for despair. In fact, without God life would be despair, but God makes all the difference. Because God is good, the believer can confidently wait on Him, and He will always act in accordance with the goodness of His nature. "I would have despaired unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living. Wait for the LORD; be strong and let your heart take courage; yes, wait for the LORD" (Psalm 27:13-14).

Hope may seem ridiculous under the circumstances, but even the seemingly impossible cannot quench hope. Naturally speaking, Abraham had no hope of seeing a promised child, but he chose to hope in God anyway. God ended up doing for Abraham exactly what He had said He would do. "In hope against hope he believed, so that he might become a father of many nations according to that which had been spoken, 'So shall your descendants be'" (Romans 4:18).

The Bible has the truth to help and give hope in every situation. When the believer seeks out and meditates on the appropriate truth, he is encouraged and able to move toward victory. He may not require an entire list of verses; just one or two verses, understood and remembered, can guide the believer on the path toward hope. The believer must be on guard, meditating on Scripture and focusing on God, thereby challenging himself not to yield to despair, but to hope in God. "Why are you in despair, O my soul? And why have you become disturbed within me? Hope in God, for I shall again praise Him for the help of His presence" (Psalm 42:5).

While a friend, a note of encouragement, a changed circumstance, a vacation, or some other blessing may provide some help to the believer in despair, those cannot be his ultimate source of hope. God is very clear that He expects believers to find their hope in the Bible, a book that overflows with abundant hope for all who will seek it. The believer must hope in God whether circumstances change or not, whether his illness improves or not, whether people come through for him or not, and whether he gets the answer he wants or not. Any of those things in which people put their hope have the potential to fail, and at some point they probably will. God is the only source of hope that will never fail.

"O love the LORD, all you His godly ones! The LORD preserves the faithful and fully recompenses the proud doer. Be strong and let your heart take courage, all you who hope in the LORD." Psalm 31:23-24 (NASB)