1 April 2024 - In these difficult times we must remain hopeful
Hope means to desire something with confident expectation of its fulfilment. How can you remain hopeful in difficult times?
There is good news! Help is available, not the kind wherein one wishes for the best. It is one thing to wish, yet quite another to have hope based on the promises of God. When you place your trust in God, He will fill you with peace, joy, and assurance.
Rom 15:13(ERV) I pray that the God who gives hope will fill you with much joy and peace as you trust in him. Then you will have more and more hope, and it will flow out of you by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Psalm 25:3(NIV) No one who hopes in you will ever be put to shame.
Psalm 131:3(NIV) … put your hope in the LORD both now and forevermore.
“Hope is being able to see that there is a light despite all the darkness.” – Desmond Tutu
Having hope and doing your best to stay positive can see you through seemingly impossible situations.
“Never losing hope is key to survival.” - Admirla Stockdale
God is our source of hope. Hope is for now, it is for today, and it is for tomorrow too. Worrying about tomorrow is borrowing trouble from tomorrow and spending it on today. When you realize that tomorrow is already taken care of by God alone and the hope you have in Him, then you can find rest.
2 Corinthians 4:8-9(NKVJ) We are hard-pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down but not destroyed.
A perfect diamond, after going through unspeakable trials, will reflect light from every angle. Much the same way we reflect the light of God to the lost world when life is hard, and we are hard pressed on every side.
To go deeper, look at John Gills commentary of 2 Corinthians 4: 8-9 where he teaches the meaning and application of each phrase. Hard-pressed – troubled, afflicted, never free from trials by people or situations. But not crushed – not without hope, not without a way of escape, not without comfort, love, and grace. Perplexed – you don’t know what to do, which way to turn, who will provide for you. You are filled with doubt, fear, and anxiety. But not in despair – not worried about eternity. Persecuted – cursed, threatened, left by friends, tortured, followed by evil men. But not forsaken – not left by God. Cast down – wrestled to the ground, thrown down like trash. But not destroyed – having eternal safety for our soul through the blood of Jesus Christ.
May you rest in the hope that God is in control.