The Stress Detox DevotionalSample

THE RESTORATION OF HAD HOPE

They had hoped, but now it was gone. These two disciples were walking on the road to Emmaus when a man—Jesus Himself—joined them. They didn’t recognize Him and began to lament about their dashed hope in the Messiah. They had held on to expectations of Jesus being the one, but no more. Their faith had been strong as they put their confidence in Him, optimistic He would restore the nation of Israel, but when Jesus hung on that cross and died, so did their hope. Can you imagine the letdown they must have felt? They’d been desperately waiting for a Savior, and the person they believed was an answer to their prayers appeared to be nothing more than a mere mortal. Their hope turned into hoped. It became past tense instead of active. Put yourself in their shoes for a moment and think about how they must have felt, especially after allowing themselves to grab on to the possibility. The truth is that it’s risky to hope at all because there’s always a chance it will backfire. And when we decide to put our full confidence in someone or something, we hold on to hope with all we’ve got. It’s present tense. We put all our eggs in one basket. But when a marriage falls apart or a child walks away in defiance, our dreams for the family we’ve always wanted crater. When the promotion we’ve been working toward falls through, our aspirations for the money to pay off debt go down in flames. A broken friendship rocks our foundation. And getting a scary diagnosis when we’ve lived health-consciously most of our life can bring into question the eating and exercise plans we’ve chosen to follow. These things create self-doubt. They cause us to question our wisdom and discernment. They move hope from current to expired. And in the end, hope is replaced by stress. How do we keep anxiety at bay when life feels as if it’s falling apart? How do we refuse to partner with worry when people or plans don’t pan out? How do we keep hope in the present tense? Choose to stay focused on the sovereignty of God. Choose to believe He will keep His promises—the ones in the Bible and the ones whispered into your heart. Decide God is continuing to work things out by closing doors and opening new ones. And activate your faith, holding on to it with white knuckles and all the grit you can muster. The left turn in your life didn’t catch God off guard. He is in every detail. He has your back. And when you take your had hopes to Him in prayer—surrendering your tears and fears—He will restore them to active hope again.

Ask Yourself This...

Where am I feeling hopeless in life right now?

What can I do today to restore my hope to active?