As
we approach the end of year 2016 and the seasons of Thanksgiving and Christmas,
many will be excited about what each holiday means. Many will look forward to
the time with family & friends as they enjoy all the ‘trappings’ that
surround these holidays.
For
others, however, these holidays can bring angst, depression, and a feeling of
hopelessness. The reality is --- life is hard! And because we live in a fallen
world, we must deal with many things that can cause us grief and pain, or that
seek to drain all the joy from life. I could list some of these, but will leave
that to you, the reader, because each person’s reason for feeling hopeless is
different.
Even
when our lives could be defined as going ‘well’, we can still be dragged into a
pit that leaves us feeling hopeless. It’s not something we can always put our
finger on or even name, but it’s there. It eats at our inner peace and leaves
us feeling as if we’re in a fog with no way out --- hopeless.
If
this describes you or someone you know, I am here to declare that there is HOPE for you!! And that hope is found
in Jesus Christ and the truth of His word. No matter what ‘season’ of life you
are in, God has not abandoned you. If He has allowed a painful or difficult
situation in your life, He will walk beside you all the way. As you read the
following Scriptures, it is my prayer that you begin to feel the warmth of
God’s word and the hope found in
Jesus Christ. As Jesus Himself said in John 4:46,“I have come as light into the
world, so that everyone who believes in Me will not remain in darkness.”
1
Peter 1:3
“Blessed be the God and Father of
our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born
again to a living hope through the
resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.”
Titus
3:4-7
“But when the kindness of God our
Savior and His love for mankind appeared, He saved us, not on the basis of
deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the
washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out
upon us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that being justified by His
grace we would be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.
Psalm
71:5
“For You are my hope; O Lord God, You are my confidence
from my youth.”
Ephesians
1:18
“I pray that the eyes of your heart
may be enlightened, so that you will know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His
inheritance in the saints.”
Colossians
1:27
“ . . . Christ in you, the hope of glory.”
Hebrews
6:18, 19
“ . . . 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.”
1
Thessalonians 5:8
“But since we are of the day, let
us be sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet,
the hope of salvation.”
Romans
5:2b-5
“and we exult in hope of the glory of God. And not only
this, but we also exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings
about perseverance; and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope; and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured
out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.”
As
God’s word tells us, the hope we have through Christ Jesus is many things.
It
is:
- · living
- · eternal
- · an anchor for our soul
- · sure and steadfast
The
hope we have through Christ will
never disappoint. Christ in us is our hope
of glory.
So
take heart, dear reader! If you are experiencing a season of hopelessness, my
prayer for you is Romans 15:13 “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.”
Blessings!
