One Word At A Time: Hope
Wednesday, September 8, 2010 at 7:00AM MAD21 By MAD21
We have a good friend who is going through a pretty traumatic time in his life. In most cases, people generally have some responsibility for the situations they find themselves involved in, but this time the pain is being caused by another person. I wish I could say that this is something that is a one time thing, something that just happened and that he will be able to move past it quickly, but unfortunately our friend has been living in this nightmare for a few years and can only pray it will be resolved soon.
We pray daily for him to have perseverance and strength, and for everyone involved to be wise in the decisions that need to be made. We pray for resolution, for peace to come into his life so healing can begin. But in the midst of the storm, how do you help someone find hope?
Most of us have lived through terrible events in our lives. Some short, some long, but either way, the pain and disappointment can be unbearable. When your life takes a sudden unexpected turn and you have no control over the direction you are now taking, how do you not lose hope?
The simple answer: It all comes down to faith. Most times in our lives it is easy to say we believe in God. We believe in this fatherly person with authority whom we go to church to learn about and worship to. But it is in these intense times in our lives that God truly becomes real. It's when your faith in him becomes solid and makes your relationship with him unbreakable. It is in these times that your faith becomes... hope.
"In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little wile you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials." (1 Peter 1:6)
Hope is often a result of persevering through a difficult time. So how can we help each other to gain hope? Most important we pray for each other and with each other. But after that we can be an ear to listen, offer advice when asked, point them in the direction of professionals that could potentially help their situation, and help them to just persevere until the situation is resolved.
"The LORD is good to those whose hope is in him, to the one who seeks him." (Lamentations 3:25)
In the end, it all comes back to God. The giver of all life. The giver of all hope. In good times and in bad, whether you feel his presence or not, he is there. He feels your joy, he feels your pain. It's easy to see God when the sun is shining, but he is in the rain, too. Just have faith.
Where does your hope lie? God knows the end of the story. In troubled times our faith should be in him. Our hope is in him.
This post is a participant in a blog carnival over at Bridget Chumbley's One Word at a Time.
Be sure to go and check out what everyone else wrote on: Hope.
Hope, One Word At A Time in One Word At A Time
Reader Comments (4)
Sometimes just coming along side, as you're doing here, is enough to keep hope going.
Glynn is right. The fact that you are there for this person gives him hope that someone will listen, someone will help however they can.
Hope is so sturdy because it is forged in the hardest of circumstances. Glad that when we can't find it readily, we can rely on good friends like you are to this person. God is so gracious!
Thanks Ginny.
I love those verses, Ginny. It is hard not to lose hope in extreme situations.. but faith is key. Thank you!