Day 1: When Life Steals Your Hope

Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God,
for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God. —Psalm 42:11 NIV

The fact that life can be hard doesn’t surprise any of us. It can be full of ups and downs, mountain tops and valleys, peaks of victory and long seasons of defeat. In these moments, our hearts can feel heavy and sapped of all hope. We’re disappointed, feeling like there’s nothing worth hoping for and that believing in God for an expected end just isn’t worth the risk to our emotional stability.

Whether it’s a health crisis, financial struggles, broken relationships, or other losses, these trials can leave us feeling overwhelmed and hopeless. We can easily let circumstances dictate our outlook, allowing despair to creep in and cloud our vision of the future.

David is a prime example of someone who experienced feelings of abandonment. His feelings about his circumstances led him to the temporary conclusion that he was forsaken. However, time and time again in the Psalms, we see David’s perspective shift by the assurance of the faithfulness of God.

David’s declaration to hope in God again in Psalm 42:11 reflects his intentional decision to shift his focus from his circumstances to God’s faithfulness. Hope is not just passive wishing; it’s an active trust in God’s character and promises. When we remind ourselves of who God is and what He has done, we find strength to persevere.

God does not ask us to have hope on the basis that we will figure stuff out. Whether our hope is nearly non-existent or merely experiencing a temporary shaking, God calls us to hope again in Him.

Life may have thrown you some messy situations, painful trials, or confusing outcomes, but none of that is greater than the power of hope in God. In Christ, God welcomes you to experience the beauty of finding refuge in Him as you process disappointment. Even when your hope is shaken, God is near.

Hope point: The first step in the proper restoration of your hope is being able to recognise that you’ve lost it. Be honest and vulnerable with God to admit that you don’t believe in the same way you did before shame, pain, disappointment and failure came knocking on your door. Take ten minutes today to pause and journal about the triggers or disappointments that have caused you to lessen your expectation of God. Ask yourself, ‘How did those moments change how I view God and His plan for my life?’

Prayer: Lord, I thank you that even when it feels like my hope is lost, you are always close. I pray that you would show me what has stolen my hope and made me feel like your plans for me won’t prevail. I pray that you would reveal the parts of my heart that have been crushed due to unmet expectations. Heal me in those areas, Lord, so that I can hope in you again.