I would have
lost heart,
unless I had believed That I would see the goodness of the
Lord
In the
land of the living.
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. Romans 15:13
ave circumstances in your life caused to be depressed? Has a trial you’re going through robbed you of hope? Yes, that does happen to Christians. But depression and hopelessness don’t have to happen; or, if they do, they can and should be dispelled quickly. People are quick to blame such feelings on an event or events that have happened to them. But as we study this topic, you will learn that it is not your circumstances that bring depression and loss of hope, but how you react to them. People often listen to themselves; they pay heed to the negative thoughts that are flooding out of their hearts. Instead, they must learn to speak to themselves—out of the truth of God’s Word. During his ministry for the Lord Jesus Christ and the gospel, the Apostle Paul suffered many trials and setbacks—persecutions and disappointments (see 2 Corinthians 11:23ff if you have any doubts). Yet, Paul did not allow any of that to cause him to lose hope. He wrote these words for your benefit:
Therefore,
since we have this ministry, as we have received mercy, we
do not lose heart… (2 Corinthians 4:1, 8, 16) Even though his trials were grievous, Paul did not lose heart or despair. There was no, “Woe is me, I’m undone.” Just like David in Psalm 27:13, Paul believed that he would see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living, in other words, in this present life. Though the trials had their effect on the outward man, the trials were having a positive effect on the inward man (also see James 1:2-4). How did David find hope? Instead of wallowing in negative thoughts, David turned to the Lord. “Your face, Lord, I will seek” (Psalm 27:8), wrote David. He had probably learned long before to seek the Lord’s face in prayer and then to wait patiently. Wait on the Lord; Be of good courage, And He shall strengthen your heart; Wait, I say, on the Lord! (Psalm 27:14) That David knew where to find hope in tough times is apparent from his words in Psalm 16:8-9:
I have set
the Lord
always before me; Because He is at my right hand I
shall not be moved. Paul’s God was not a god of despair—look at Romans 15:13 quoted at the beginning of this article. Paul’s God (and your God as well) is the God of hope. And you can abound in hope through the Holy Spirit (He lives in you, you know). The author of the Epistle to the Hebrews reminds all of us who are in Christ that our hope should not be shaky and fleeting, but it should be rock solid—for he writes: This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, and which enters the Presence behind the veil, (Hebrews 6:19) Paul knew another source of hope—the Word of God. In Romans 15:4 he wrote these words: For whatever things were written before were written for our learning, that we through the patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope. When those circumstances come into your life that tend to lead to despair and hopelessness, turn to the Word of God. How many people do you know who have received hope and comfort from the Book of Psalms? Many of the Psalms were written by men that were in the throes of a grievous trial—their very lives may have been in peril. Learn from the words of those men as they found hope in appealing to their faithful Lord. We are going to end this article with a quote from the Apostle Paul (Romans 5:1-5). In it Paul mentions some of those tribulations that might cause you to lose hope. But notice with us—Paul teaches you to glory in tribulations—because they put a process in gear that eventually produces hope.
Therefore,
having been justified by faith, we have peace with God
through our Lord Jesus Christ, Like the Thessalonians, may you be remembered for your “…patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ…” (1 Thessalonians 1:3) (11/13/05) |
