hope again

hopeless

heaviness hemmed in

heart wrenched

hope drifting with doubts recounted

darkening shadows 

awakened in the shallows

 hollowed out

harmed, hurt, helpless

hoping seems useless

to prove the truth

to cling to the promise

temporary seeing redirects the healing

questions screaming

broadcasting deeper revealings

that circumstances bled through true inner dealings

worry wrestles peace to repeat the dis-ease

waiting, praying, clinging

nothing left

abandoned to reapprehend

 to let the healing begin

light

bending, breaking, beckoning 

through words remembered, promises given

head lifted

heart rendered 

heaviness surrendered

hope given a name

 spoken in soft whispers

spirit restored

hope settled in

standing, steadied in truth

 hoping again

hope again

Shattered expectations. Disappointments piled high. Cruelty, injustice, and hate leave faith fragmented and frayed. Darkness infringes upon the light and life that moves us to hope.

Hope hangs on the hems of the Gospel, we just have to keep reaching out to receive it. As the Gospel is refreshed in our minds and retold to our souls, hope begins to seep through the void of self disillusionment. When we let light hit the darkening shadows of doubt, pain, and confusion, the heaviness and hopelessness begin to dissolve into freedom. The freedom to receive and believe in hope.

Hope is something that is hard to grasp because it’s intangible, not something to be physically seen or touched, yet it longs to be received and dwelt in.

Hope is something we let into our being. Hope is a person, Jesus, we believe and trust in. Hope is also an action, something we set expectations and longings on. Our hope, Jesus, moves us to hope for what is to come through what He has already done. We can sit with hope as we set it in the One we get to sit with. As we sit with hope longer, we become stronger and more confident in a future flooded with light and love.  

I believe hope is a craving that continues to grow stronger and deeper as we become more weary and beaten with the battles of everyday circumstances and the evil and hate outside of our control. God longs to fill and satisfy this craving through the truth and promises in His Word and through His people who have received it, believed in it, and placed their hope in it. We were meant to share this hope with exceeding joy and expectation. As we continue to let hope seep into our inner being we develop a greater desire to share this hope with the broken world around us. 

Last year I fell captive to the greatest state of hopelessness I have ever experienced. Trying to find a job and community in the middle of a pandemic seemed hopeless. Trying to believe and trust God for healing of loved ones seemed hopeless. Trying to remember my true identity, purpose, and value seemed hopeless. Without hope it’s hard to find purpose. It’s hard to find meaning in the mundane without hope. It’s hard to find motivation to get out of bed in the morning without hope. It’s hard to find determination and momentum to keep moving forward despite circumstances and feelings without hope. 

 Hebrews 6:17-19 says, “Because God wanted to make the unchanging nature of his purpose very clear to the heirs of what was promised, he confirmed it with an oath. God did this so that, by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled to take hold of the hope set before us may be greatly encouraged. We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure.”

God set hope before us in the life of Jesus and He sets hope in us through the promises in His Word to us. It’s impossible for Him to lie or break His promises to us. When we take hold of Jesus, we take hold of hope. A hope that is unwavering and unchangeable. This hope is a weight to steady our souls and an epic encouragement to keep hoping for what is to come, for what Jesus already secured for us— life eternal, face to face with our Creator. 

Hope builds a steady, sturdy bridge to faith and allows us to walk over the depths of darkness, disappointment, and doubts. Hope isn’t just a feeling of longing with anticipation of the good that is to come, but a knowing. Knowing hope is knowing truth. Knowing truth is knowing Jesus. Knowing can lead to a steadying. A steady mind and soul that can disarm anxiety, fear, and a sense of hopelessness.

Being hopeful means being filled by the One whose very essence of being is hope. When you take away the essential, crucial heartbeat of hope, Jesus, there really is nothing left to place your hope in. When our minds and hearts are being bombarded with the things that lack the hopeful presence of Jesus, our hope begins to fade and darkness blocks the rays of what will always remain and fight to break through— hope.

How do we hope again and again and again? By receiving Jesus and allowing Him to invade our heart, mind, and soul every day. By receiving, believing, and being anchored to the promises God has given. 

Through a great season of hopelessness I had many amazing friends, mentors, and family members come alongside me and remind me of the great hope that we always have in Jesus. Sometimes you need constant, consistent reminders of the hope that is always trying to breakthrough your dark, seemingly hopeless thoughts and circumstances. Find and surround yourself with people who will continually point you towards the hope of Jesus. 

I love the song “Help is on the way” by Amanda Cook. There is a line in it that says, “if you need to borrow hope, here’s mine for you to hold.” I love the imagery this portrays of holding out hope and giving it to someone who is walking through a season of hopelessness. This is what my friends and family did for me and I believe it’s what God does every day for us. He’s always reaching out with extraordinary hope letting us borrow as much as we need and His supply is endless. We just have to reciprocate the reach to receive it. 

One day we will get to see hope face to face. Our hope will come to complete capacity in the presence of Jesus. Until then, anchor yourself in the promises of God and hope again. It’s not always easy and not always immediate, but it’s always worth the fight to hold on to hope. 

Hope always leads straight to the presence of Jesus. If you are struggling to find or hold on to hope, create space and time to be alone in the presence of Jesus. I promise you will find hope, encouragement, and strength to hope again every time.