Whispers of Hope - week 3

Last week we learned about why we need hope. When life comes crashing down on you and you are taken by surprise or aggressively shaken beyond description hope carries you on when you want to give up. You can be filled with hope, rejoice in hope and live fearless lives trusting in an almighty God who wants to give us a reason to be hopeful.

During this journey towards hope, you have read in Psalm 139 how important you are to the living God. He adores you, knew you before you were even born and places such value on your very life. You have purpose and a reason to go on. If you have accepted Jesus Christ as your Savior, your plans for a bright future begin the day you give your life to the Lord. As you surrender every area of your life, Jesus begins to formulate a plan for good, to give you a hopeful future. Enter into that plan today if you have not already, and taste and see that the Lord is good and can remove the pain in your life that has stolen your hope, squashed your joy and left you wanting to end your journey.


Everyone needs hope
Whether you are young or old, rich or poor, famous or unknown, you need hope. Hope imparts strength at times when you are weak and ready to throw the towel in. Putting on a face of joy when your very soul is aching and bleeding does you no good. Allowing God to heal and renew areas of your life that have been so broken and bruised, battered creates new life within you. Life worth living, worth waking up for, worth carrying on. Jesus died because people needed a Savior. Placing your trust in Jesus gives you hope. God fills you with hope so you can rest on eagles wings and soar to new heights. You do not need to remain hopeless, no matter what your situation looks like. God is in the business of making miracles happen.


Blessed beyond Hope
To be blessed by God is one of the most endearing things you can have happen in your life. Knowing God has placed His hand on you, you specifically, and sent His love and care your way, can instill a hope that cannot be shaken. When situations are disturbing, devastating or sorrowful, who do you put your trust in? Is it yourself, friends, family? Perhaps you don't trust anyone because so many you have trusted in the past have let you down. God is worthy of your trust. People are mere humans trying to do the best with whatever gifts, talents, wisdom and education they have been born with or acquired. Jesus is the only One Who always has it together. He can take care of you in ways you will never be able to care for yourself. Let Jesus be the lifter of your head, the encourager of your soul, the very reason you have hope. He won't let you down.


Shifting your focus
Keeping eternal benefits in the forefront of your mind will do much to alleviate the anxiety, worry and fear that so often overwhelms you and paralyzes your plans. In the storms is where our very characters are built up, tested and made stronger. These storms are temporary and will pass. Having faith enables you to see past your circumstances to better days. Seeing that which is not visible requires attention, focus and diligence. Through faith you can view any circumstance, no matter how shameful or intense, although it feels so unforgiving as the waves of doubt and fear wash over your body and rock your spirit. God will bless you in the midst of your suffering. As your eyes turn to Him for protection, for comfort, for answers, He will lift you out of the mire and the clay and place you upon a foundation that is built on rock rather than shifting sand. Real hope and blessings comes from God who has an eternal plan for your life. With Jesus as your guide and your focus becomes eternal, day to day trials and tribulations will seem less intense, less devastating and more manageable. Peace can flood your soul, if you will only ask for it to.


Today, take a moment to bring your cares and lay them at the feet of Jesus. Box them up as you learned during week 1 of this study, and leave them with Jesus, don't take them back. Ask God to show you how to think eternally and focus on things that last more than a lifetime. Ask Him to give you a thankful heart for whatever situation you are in. God has good plans for you, plans to prosper you and give you hope. Let's be mindful of Philippians 4:4, "Rejoice in Him always, again I say rejoice!"



APPLICATION

1. Begin a thankful journal. You can purchase a journal from the store or one you can make yourself. A notebook with paper will work as well. Label it, "I am thankful for..." Each day, jot down atleast one thing you are thankful for. It can be an event, a person or something you were given, etc.

2. Write a short note or make a phone call to someone you have been meaning to thank. Tell the person what you are grateful for.

3. Ask the Lord to give you a new perspective on how you see things, people, your situation. Be ready to receive a new game plan or strategy for tackling a trial you are going through.

4. Wake each morning rejoicing in who you are.Remember, if you have received Jesus as Lord and Savior, you are a child of almighty God. If you have not yet asked Jesus into your heart, consider asking Him today. Today is the day of salvation as no one is promised tomorrow.

5. Find 3 scriptures speaking of faith or trust in God. You can use your Bible, online resources such as Biblegateway or a book you have read in the past. Write them down on a 3 X 5 card and place them on your refrigerator or mirror in your bathroom. Read them daily.

Whispers of Hope - Week 1

For all those going through various trials and tribulations, you know what it is like to feel hopeless. It's that deep, down feeling that nothing is going to get better. You are gripped with the fear that things will only get worse. There is no light at the end of the tunnel nor is there is any reason to believe there should be. Hopelessness paralyzes you where you are and living becomes a chore you'd prefer avoiding altogether.

Webster describes hopelessness this way. It is having no expectation of good or success - despairing; not susceptible to remedy or cure; incapable of redemption or improvement; giving no ground for hope- desperation; incapable of a solution, management or accomplishment - impossible. Despairing, you bet you are, desperate most definitely, impossible, that is exactly how you feel about your situation, that's how you feel about your life.


The Purpose of Hope

The purpose of hope is to give us something to look forward to, something to believe in, something to keep us going when we just want to give up. I love the scripture in Jeremiah 29:11, it reads, "For I know the plans I have for you, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future." Each and every person alive has a purpose, provided by almighty God to give them hope for a brighter future.

Our expectations when we are hopeless are those of despair, pain, sorrow, anguish, disgust, desiring to give up completely, aimlessly existing with nothing to look forward to beyond our present circumstances. God wants so much more for His people. He wants us to expect the best even when trials come our way. He wants us to realize He can use our pain, sorrow and suffering for better purposes when we hope in Him. Psalms 42:5 reminds us to put our hope in God when we are in despair, downcast and disturbed.


What Hope Can Do for You

Hope can make you stronger, allowing you to rise about your current circumstances and look to a higher power for answers. Hope can sustain you when all seems futile. Because we live in a fallen world, sin-filled and corrupt, we will encounter pain and sorrow, suffering and our share of problems. But hope gives you the perseverance you need to go on, to wake in the morning, to get out of bed and be thankful you are alive. Hope inspires endurance that can take you farther than any other experience in life. Isaiah 40:31 reminds us, "Those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles, they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not grow faint."


What Hopelessness Does for You

Hopelessness steals your joy and brings you sorrow. It can make you upset and feel frustrated enough to just stop trying. Hopelessness is debilitating and makes room for fear, anxiety, and depression to control your life. When you are hopeless, life seems unbearable. Without hope we feel insecure, lacking confidence and are unsteady in all our ways. Low self-esteem surrounds us and the spiritual battle begins.


Where Do You Turn for Hope?

When trials come and you are engulfed in the waves of panic, where do you turn and who do you turn to? The Bible tells us in Proverbs 13:12 that "Hope deferred makes the heart sick." We all need hope, the essence of greater things in life. The purpose of hope is to bring us joy in troubled times, strengthen us when we are weak, give us endurance to run the race and finish successfully and to give us something to believe in, to look forward to.

I pray that God fills you with the hope of joy and peace as you look to Him, so you may overflow with this hope by the power of the Holy Spirit that instills life, love and liberty to your very soul. Your journey towards hope begins today!


1. What areas of your life seem hopeless right now?

2. What have you done in the past to remain hopeful that has not worked?

3. Who can you put your hope in that can give you joy and peace despite the storms you face today?

4. What advantages are there to feeling hopeful rather than feeling hopeless in any situation?

5. What step can you take today to feel hopeful about the areas in your life that seem hopeless?