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[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]During the thirty year’s war in the 17th century, German Paul Gerhardt and his family were forced to flee from their home.

One night as they stayed in a small village inn, homeless and afraid, his wife broke down and cried openly in despair. To comfort her, Gerhardt reminded her of scripture promises about God provision and keeping.

Then going out to the garden to be alone, he too broke down and wept. He felt he had come to his darkest hour.

Also Read: Catch Them Young: Train up a child The Way He Should Go

Soon afterwards Gerhardt felt the burden lifted and sensed anew the Lord’s presence. Taking his pen and wrote a hymn that has brought comfort to many.

Give to the winds thy fears, and hope, and be undismayed, God hears thy sighs and counts thy tears; God shall lift up thy head.

Through waves and clouds and storms He gently clears the way. Wait for thou His time, so shall the night soon end in joyous day.

It is often in our darkest times that God makes His presence know clearly. He uses our sufferings and troubles to show us that he is our only source of strength.

And when we see this truth like Pastor Gerhardt, we receive new hope. Are you facing a great trial?. Take heart, put yourself in God’s hand. Wait for His timing, He will give you a song in the night.

Our Daily Bread, May 7, 1992, Concept Of Hope

According to the Cambridge dictionary, hope is the feeling that something desired can be had or will happen. Th foregoing definition suggests that hope is a kind of feeling that an expectation would be met.

From a biblical perspective, hope means more than just a mere expectation that something would likely turn out well.

It is the assurance, the guarantee that we desire will surely come to pass. We have this assurance because our hope is rooted in the word of God, and specifically, in the promises of God contained in His infallible word.

God promises we realise from the scripture, will surely be fulfilled irrespective of prevailing circumstances.

Since the basis of a Christian hope is in the word of God Psalm119:81, it is concrete and solid. It is not based on probabilities or permutations because God cannot lie Numbers 23:19.

This is the reason that the hope of a Christian is different from that of the world.

Hope is an indispensable element of faith. Hope and faith work hand in hand. This is why the scripture defines hope as “the substance of things hoped for” Hebrews 11:1.

By indication, hope seems to be the foundation on which faith is built, because if there is nothing you hope for, there won’t be any substance.

In other words, if there is nothing you are hoping to get, then there is nothing to exercise faith for. Somebody rightly said that hope is faith in the future tense.

Hope is the last beacon of life in humans that should never be lost.

Causes And Consequences Of Hopelessness

There are many reasons why people lose hope in life. People often become hopeless in life because of hardship, illness, lack, unanswered prayer, joblessness, fear of the unknown, marital challenges, financial crisis, unfulfilled dreams or desires, disappointment, family problems temptation and trials, persecution, among other life challenges.

Despite these reasons, it is a dangerous thing to lose hope. If there is anything that renders a person almost useless in life it is hopelessness.

Hopelessness is a state where you fell nothing will ever get better, a point where you think you will never succeed in life. It is a juncture of delayed or failed expectations.

Hopelessness is a state where all motivation that would have propelled you to action for a better life are lost. Psalm 42:5 present us with a heart touching lamentation of the Psalmist in
his hopeless moments.

“Why are thou cast down O my soul? and why art thou disquieted in me?” This was a critical question at a critical moment that depicts the predicament of the Psalmist at that time.
It’s suggestive of an unbearable internal conflict over which e just could not keep silent. His soil seemed to have parted ways with the rest of his being and as such, it was disquieted in him.

He was restless and disturbed. There was no peace because anxiety and uneasiness reigned within. These all happened because hope was deferred. How terrible when hope fails, this is why you should not lose

We have a similar scenario of David and his men in 1st Samuel 30:4 when the city of Ziklag was burnt down and their wives and daughter were taken captive by an invading enemy.

Ziklag was the city of David, the fearless warrior who had killed the famous Goliath of Gath and had defeated many other fearsome armies.

But here, he and his men felt hopeless. They became helpless and lost every confidence that they lifted up “their voices and wept until they had no more power to weep.”

This was a hopeless state. There seemed to be no flicker of light in the dark tunnel of their lives. They were in a terrible dungeon of hopelessness.

Perhaps, you are in the same state as David and his men. You have lost all that you have laboured for? never lose hope.

Also, Elijah was a famous and fiery prophet who did great exploits for God but when Jezebel threatened him, his heart so failed within him that he demanded that God should take his life.
Elijah’s hope failed to an extent that he lost sight of his worth, saying that he was not better than his fathers. But which of Elijah’s father ever called down fire from Heaven or ever did other mighty works that he did?.

Such was the unfortunate condition of a great man of God whose hope failed at a critical moment of discouragement. No matter how mighty you might be, when your hope fails, life becomes valueless and miserable.

Some have even committed suicide because of despondency. But as a Christian, you should not give in to despair.

Conclusion

Hopelessness is a dangerous state where all inner drive is lost and strength dissipates Except a new light of hope shines in your path, you would not feel like making any further attempt at doing something worthwhile with your life.

If you have lost hope because of some challenges of life, It is time to break free from that chain of hopelessness and receive the help of God.

Keeping Hope Alive

To overcome hopelessness and keep hope alive, it is very crucial for you to learn to encourage yourself in the Lord. When David was faced with a daunting and seemingly hopeless situation he “encouraged himself in the Lord his God” 1 Samuel 30:6.

Hope is seeing a light in spite of being surrounded by darkness.

You don’t need to engage in self-pity, it will do you no good. Hope in God and encourage yourself in His promises. Remember as long as there is life there is hope Ecclesiastes 9:4

You also need to be focused. Channel your strength on the thing you are pursuing and trusting in the Lord for. Don’t dissipate your energy on wailing and weeping like David and his men.

Take heart and wait on the Lord because He knows your present situation, pain and tears. Like the Psalmist, your confession should constantly be “My soul waiteth for the Lord He is my help and my shield” Psalm 33:20.

Do you remember the hopeless case of Lazarus who had been buried for four days but was raised from the dead when Jesus shows up? This attests to the truth that God is never late.

He will show up on time Jesus says, “I am the resurrection and the life, he that believeth in me though were dead yet shall he live” John11:25.

Believe in the Lord, therefore and everything that is dead within and around you will be restored right now in Jesus name.

Prayer Point Using The Stone Of Offence.
Confession Isaiah 8:14 and Mattew 21:44

1: Let the stone of offence grind to powder every handwriting of darkness against my life in Jesus name.
2: Let the stone of offence be release to destabilise every wicked plantation in my life in Jesus name.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]