God Can Restore Your Hope

The rain falls on the deserving as well as the undeserving, which translates into good times and troubled times. Our behaviors and attitudes definitely influence what happens to us. When dark times appear, the jolt can be discouraging and heart-breaking.

Hope plays an essential role in every dimension of life, and if hope is permitted to fade, even the normal issues of life may seem overwhelming. In the worst circumstances there are those individuals who will remain optimistic compared to those who seem to lose hope.

Yet hope, when lost, can be restored. Listen to Proverbs 18:28: “There is surely a future hope for you and your hope will not be cut off.” Psalm 147:11 continues, “The Lord delight in those who fear him, who put their hope in his unfailing love.” Never turn away from God’s love for you. Instead, seek him until you feel hope returning to your soul and spirit. God wants to help you, to save you and be with you.  

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Come to the place of safety,… for there is yet hope! I promise right now, I will repay you two mercies for each of your woes!

~Zechariah 9:12 The Living Bible

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Overwhelmed by Storms

There are many ways to hide from the realities of life, and everyone seeks shelter from the storms of life that are overwhelming. Job faced a series of catastrophes in rapid succession that compelled him to declare, “How frail is man, how few his days, how full of trouble!"  You may sense approaching trouble and, like Job, feel frightened, perhaps helpless.

It's not unusual to disregard warning signs about approaching trouble. Hiding from trouble is an ineffective attempt to avoid conflict. While it’s possible to avoid and deny conflict, these defenses can prove to be disastrous. Realizing conflict needs to be addressed appropriately is essential to good, healthy relationships.

Trouble visits the righteous and the unrighteous. Job loved God and lived an upright life before him. Still he had to grieve through the death of all his children. We, like Job, can claim God's promise to be our "refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble."  When we do so, we gain courage to face whatever life presents to us.  

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God is our mighty fortress, always ready to help in times of trouble.

And so, we won’t be afraid! Let the earth tremble and the mountains tumble into the deepest sea.

Let the ocean roar and foam, and its raging waves shake the mountains.

Our God says, “Calm down, and learn that I am God!”

~Psalm 46:1-3,10 Contemporary English Version