Difficulties
A Living Hope
The young woman fiddled nervously with the bracelet on her wrist. Through tears, she told how she had left home when she was quite young and "just out of high school." She said her parents did not understand her. Now at twenty-seven, she was divorced and alone with two children to raise. The mention of hope did little to change the lifeless expression on her face.
Her thoughts were consumed by the depression that filled her life. Little attention was given to how she could change her circumstances. Instead every ounce of energy was spent in keeping the frustration and anger she felt pushed down deep inside of her. Words and phrases like "I will get through this," or "I'll just keep going" were less than convincing.
The fact that she sought Christian counsel is a miracle. But this is the wonder of God's love; He always comes to us right where we are. He doesn't wait until we have life neatly packaged and well-ordered. He knows when we call out to Him it is from the depths of desperation and not from the hallowed halls of piety.
The very fact that this woman took a step toward God is evidence enough that she longed for Him to move close to her. She had accepted Christ as a child and then rebelled as a teenager. Her mother and father eventually gave up trying to communicate to her. But somehow, she thought if there was such a thing as hope or the ability to hope again, God would lead her to it. And she was right.
Jesus did more than just preach and teach the gospel. He lived it. This is why we see Him stopping to heal a man born blind or taking a detour through Samaria to meet a woman whose life was layered in hopelessness. His love for Peter did not deviate even though the young disciple denied knowing Jesus three times. What is more, Jesus will never take His love from you.
Yet this truth can be difficult to hold on to, especially if you are living your Christian life in a back-slidden state. Many believers fight feelings of regret and shame for not maintaining their devotion to Jesus Christ. They tell themselves that once they get things right, they will reestablish their fellowship with God. However, we know there is no way to make ourselves more acceptable to a loving, heavenly Father who already loves us unconditionally.
How can you become more lovely to Someone who already sees you as His beloved? You can't. This is the source of our praise to God. He loves us even when we are trapped in sin. Christ's death on the cross was God's way of dealing with our hopeless state. He faced death, the last enemy of our souls, and came away the eternal Victor.
You may say, "Well, I don't think I know how to hope for anything. I am at the bottom, and there is no looking up." Christ's death signified not only the darkest moment in human history but also the most hopeless. All Jesus had ever known was fellowship with the Father—never separation. Until the crucifixion, He remained One with the Father in perfect unity. But because God could not look on sin, and Jesus had taken our sins on Himself in order that He might become our anointing sacrifice, the Father turned away from the Son.
When Jesus prayed, "Father, if there is a way for this cup to pass from Me," He was not asking God to keep Him from dying. He knew He had come into this world for one purpose, and that was to die for your sin. Instead, He was asking the Father if there was another way other than separation from His loving heavenly Father.
Proverbs tells us, "Hope deferred makes the heart sick" (13:12). When we are separated from God because of sin or lack of belief, there is a sickness to our souls. Sin brings a sense of hopelessness and so can rebellion.
But what do you do when you know there is nothing you have done to create a difficult trial? God knows when we face horrendous situations. He hears our cries. Even those who maintain the closest fellowship are not immune to feelings of hopelessness.
However, there is another factor at work, and that is God's providential care. Many times God allows us to face circumstances and situations of hopelessness so our faith can be tested and tried. Yet it is the hopelessness that forces us to seek God. And it is there that we find strength and refreshment.
Few of us have faced the hopelessness that the nation of Israel faced in the wilderness. An entire generation passed away before God moved them into the Promised Land. Why did He allow a group of people He loved to suffer? The answer is in Deuteronomy 8:2-3: "You shall remember all the way which the Lord your God has led you in the wilderness these forty years, that He might humble you, testing you, to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep His commandments or not.
"He humbled you and let you be hungry, and fed you with manna which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, that He might make you understand that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by everything that proceeds out of the mouth of the Lord."
Does God care that you become weary in your wilderness wandering? Yes, and He is aware of every emotion, need, and desire you have. He also knows exactly what it will take to bring you into an intimate relationship with Him. Intimacy and fellowship are His goals for your life.
The apostle Peter addressed his two epistles to "those who reside as aliens, scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia . . ." (1 Peter 1:1). If he were choosing a title for his letters, we have to wonder if he would consider "Encouragement For Times of Hopelessness," or "Hope For The Hurting," because encouragement and hope were exactly what Peter conveyed in writing to early believers living outside Jerusalem.
These young believers faced all kinds of persecution. They were beaten, slandered, assaulted, and in some cases they lost their lives as a result of their faith in Jesus Christ. Peter called them aliens because their citizenship was not of this world but of the kingdom of God. They were sojourners of the faith. Even though they had the testimony of men like Peter, who walked and lived with Jesus Christ, they still faced times of discouragement and needed hope. Peter explained that because their faith was not rooted in their circumstances or in their own abilities, they could rejoice even in times of trial. They had a living Hope within them. Their Savior was not buried in a sealed tomb.
He was their risen Savior and Lord. (1 Peter 1:3) The pathway set before them was one of divine appointment and not coincidence. They were protected by the power of God. (v. 5) As long as there is Jesus Christ, no situation is hopeless.
The heartache and the spiritual abandonment facing our society are tremendous. Loneliness and fear invade the hearts and minds of many. And because our culture's outlook on anything religious is negative and derogatory, it is essential for you as a believer to maintain an eternal hope. Therefore, fix the focus of your life and heart on Jesus. (1 Timothy 4:6) Remember, you have a living Hope within you. He is working to bring His will and good pleasure to the forefront of your life.
Even if you find yourself in a situation that appears hopeless, know that God has an entirely different view of the details. If you will let Him, He will take your life, no matter how bruised and broken, and make something beautiful out of it.
Isn't this what hope is all about—beauty for ashes, gladness instead of sorrow, and a coat of praise instead of fainting. (Read Isaiah 61:1-3.) This is the ministry of Jesus Christ in your life. Bring to Him your afflictions and disappointments. Tell Him your sorrows, and He will restore your hope.
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