How are you doing? Are you finding hope in our hurting world? As Christians, we know where our hope is, right? It is in the Lord. Yet, we often struggle to find hope when we can only think about the negative things affecting our world and life.

If I had to make a list of my top ten scripture verses, Jeremiah 29:11 would be at the top. (Read on air). I think I love this verse so much because it gives me hope. My favorite parts deal with safety (not to harm you) and plans to give you hope and a future. Today, we live in a society with at least fifty percent that has turned its back on the God I serve, a Christian God.

Some people, some with faith and others without faith, don’t want to see Christians happy, prospering, or unified (see last week’s Christian Unity podcast link here). I have watched some horrifying short videos lately, and what I heard made me fearful. So, what did I do? I took authority in the Name of Jesus and asked the Lord to place my fear at the foot of His cross because perfect love casts out all fear! 1 John 4:18 (Read on air.)

Our hope is in Christ; it is not in what might happen when we leave our homes, cross the street, or clean our homes. Our hope is in Christ and Him alone. I must focus on Him when I am worried about our world and the state of our economy, but I can also pray and encourage you in the same way. Today, I dropped my prescription sunglasses, and they scratched. Guess where? That’s correct. Right across my eye, I am looking straight. So, I picked them up and praised God. I had them repaired not too long ago, and they were expensive, like everything is today. But I was thankful because I chose to be. There is a list of reasons why I could be thankful, but choosing to be thankful is a decision I can make, and it gave me hope.

This does not diminish the fact that I have to look through a scratched lens, but I’ve chosen to praise God even for the hurtful, costly, and annoying things in my life. This gives me hope, and I pray it encourages you to hope in the face of hardships and trials.

At Christmas time, we have family time, and usually, I have an activity that goes along with something I’ve prayed about. This year, the theme was Fruits of the Spirit. Galatians 5:22-23: (Read on air.)

Each person selected a word that I had upside down and hidden. In other words, they didn’t know the words they would receive. Two people received the word “hope.” Two people received the word “peace.” Two people use the word “love,” and one person uses the word “joy.”

I received the word peace for this year, and I really need it, and I pray the Lord gives it to me in abundance! But I also crave hope. Without hope, there is no tomorrow. That may be a bit melodramatic, but there is truth in that statement. We spiral downward when we believe things will not get better or we feel hopeless. There is hope in Christ and against all of the negativity bombarding us through the airwaves. You can turn off the television and avoid the news, only to receive it in a digest form on your phone or hear it from your neighbor!

What causes hopelessness? So many things! But when hopelessness becomes a problem, it is when we feel that no one cares and we are all alone. Just know I care, and you are not alone! God hears us, whether the answer is no or not. We may feel powerless and oppressed in our situations, but we know it is only for a short time. There is hope that things will change. Maybe not for the better quickly, but change it will. Some days, I feel I transfer one set of problems to another. But I soon realized the solution was right in front of me, and I did not see it.

When we are in the midst of hardship or trial, we look for a way out without looking at our situation and addressing our needs one at a time. Ask questions like this:

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• Am I safe?
  
• Do I need to make any decisions right now?
  
• Do I have the time I need to pray and offer it to the Lord?
  

I’m a get-it-done-right this-minute kind of person. If I have something to do, I feel it is hanging right out there and out of reach, and if I do not address it, it bothers me. Yet, that is something of my own making. That is why the three things I listed above and the questions I can ask are so important. It makes me think and consider if I need to address the problem, chore, or item on my to-do list this second. Sometimes, the day gets away from me, and I feel hopeless because what I wanted to accomplish was left undone. This is where I need to regroup, see if there is time to address this need, and go forward. There is always hope!

The truth is our hope does not come from a person or thing. It does not come from a perfectly completed to-do list. Our hope does not even come from a sterling credit score or money in the bank. Our hope only comes from Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior. And if we remember this, we will truly be on the right track!

The saying “hope springs eternal” is defined as “People always hope for the best, even in the face of adversity. This saying is from “An Essay on Man,” by Alexander Pope. And there is truth to that statement. If there is no adversity, there is no victory! We learned that from the cross. Jesus broke the bonds of death with his life and resurrection. We love the Christmas story, the Nativity of the birth of Jesus. We love Easter with the focus on the Resurrection. But what most of us forget is there was suffering, an inhuman amount of suffering, in between those two joyful times.

Take the time to create a list of scripture verses for times when you need encouragement that there is hope. Place Jeremiah 29:11 at the top of the list (it is on mine!). Then, spend some time in prayer, giving thanks to the Lord for everything, even those things that we can not control.

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