Don’t Ever Lose Hope
5 Why, my soul, are you downcast?
Why so disturbed within me?
Put your hope in God,
for I will yet praise him,
my Savior and my God.Psalm 42:5 (NIV)
Hope… the word hope carries such positive a meaning. When you have hope, you have expectation, anticipation and usually an optimism about the future. Even when life isn’t going exactly the way you plan if you can focus on something that gives you hope somehow you find the strength to keep going.
What happens though when you lose all hope? When somehow you simply don’t feel as if life is going to get any better? All you can see is the problems and no solutions.
Since this year came in I have read too many sad stories of people who lost hope and decided that life wasn’t worth living anymore. My heart aches that they felt so hopeless that they made the decision to take their own lives. And I hurt for the family and friends they left behind with so many unanswered questions.
Everyone experiences feelings of hopelessness. It can be completely overwhelming. If you’re feeling hopeless, whether it’s loneliness, depression, mounting bills, an unexpected illness, broken relationships or something else, please don’t give up. This world needs you. Today may be bleak but trust God that tomorrow will be a better day.
You are not alone. You are valued. You are loved. Don’t withdraw from everyone. Talk to people you trust. Be honest about what you’re going through. If need be, seek professional help. In all honesty life gets overwhelming at times. If you read the Psalms, you’ll see that David often found himself overwhelmed and even discouraged but he found hope in God. You can too.
You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you Isaiah 26:3 (NIV)
Dear God, I pray for my sister reading this today. I pray that she will feel your love and that she will trust you to work out every situation that she is dealing with. Help her to find peace and hope in you. Give her the strength she needs to reach out for help when life gets to overwhelming. Amen
Very powerful and timely message, Bernadine. All I had to over the past month was the hope I have. His strength continues to carry me through the valley we are currently in.