Welcome to the Determined to Dance podcast with your host, Jennifer Hallmark. Today’s episode, Perseverance: Hope When We Need It Most, looks at the way that hope, more than any other virtue, helps us to persevere.

Are you ready? The world would have us march to its chaotic beat but God invites us to dance in His will and His way. Let’s take a moment to be energized, refreshed, and motivated to face the day, one spin and twirl at a time.

Show notes: Perseverance: Hope When We Need It Most

Hope. We all need it. Hunt for it. Grab onto it in our times of greatest need. But what exactly is it? For this word, I’ve dug back into my favorite old dictionary, Webster’s 1828. It says, “Hope is a desire of some good, accompanied with at least a slight expectation of obtaining it, or a belief that it is obtainable. Hope differs from wish and desire in this, that it implies some expectation of obtaining the good desired or the possibility of possessing it.”

So, hope is desire. It’s belief. Expectation. It’s what we need to persevere. How can we dance in step with God if we have no hope?

But 2020 and 2021 haven’t exactly been stellar years to find bucketloads of hope waiting around every corner. No, lately hope has been pretty elusive. And its opposite, despair, is everywhere.

I believe part of the tiredness I mentioned last week could be connected to a loss of hope. Honestly, I’d really hoped the pandemic would be over by now, but it doesn’t look like it. I attended a Southern writer’s conference recently and masks and social distancing were in full force. There’s just something sad about not getting to see people’s faces and expressions when you talk with them. And I don’t know when it will all end.

But I know who does. One of my favorite scriptures is found in Romans 15:13: “Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”

The God of hope. Abound in hope. Now that’s what I want. I need. Overflowing, abundant hope filling me so I can pass it on to others. How can I find this confidence?

Seek God. Since He’s the God of hope, I need to go to Him and ask. Sometimes, He’ll point us toward a scripture, song, or send a word of encouragement from a friend. God knows our needs and desires to fill us with more of Himself.
Stay connected. I tend to isolate myself when life is tough. Since God often helps us by sending people, we need to be reachable. Don’t hide from family, friends, church, or community groups.
Speak up. This goes with stay connected. If people ask how I am and I always say, “fine,” how will they know? Find safe people and talk to them about what you’re going through. And it’s okay to go to a therapist or counselor if you need help with deeper struggles. I have and it’s helped me tremendously.
Be patient. Part of my struggles with hope result from my impatience. I want it all. Yesterday. And waiting is tough when it deals with my chosen career, relational issues, or times of crisis. I have to believe God hears and He has a plan.
Not everything I hope for is good for me or part of God’s plan. I hope, in a wistful kind of way, that someone would build a coffee shop next door to my house. But that would likely affect my health and finances in a negative way if such a thing were to happen. It wouldn’t be in God’s best interest for me.

To find hope, I seek God, stay connected, speak up, be patient, and surrender. God has so many ways to bring hope into our lives, starting with His Son, who came into the world to save us and one day bring us home with Him. Our ultimate hope.

Let’s pray: Father God, I thank you for being the God of hope. You’ve done so much for us in the past and I believe you have good things in store for our future. You give us hope with each sunrise. Open our eyes and hearts to see the hope you’ve placed in front of us today. In Jesus’ name, amen.