Have you ever felt hopeless? If that is that where you are right now, or if you know someone who is despairing, this article reveals a sure cure for hopelessness.
Hopelessness shrivels the soul and saps our vitality and joy in living. If things get dark enough, we may be tempted to give up entirely. Suicide is the last decision made by some who conclude that death is preferable to continuing without hope. There are many ways to commit suicide that don’t involve actively ending our physical lives. We can self-medicate and “check out” with drugs, alcohol, sex, sports, entertainment, etc. We can withdraw into a hollow shell of our true identity, alienating ourselves from those who love and could help us. Some of us become angry and lash out. When we have no hope, we can be dangerous because we feel that we have nothing to lose.
When Adam and Eve sinned, they alienated themselves and all their descendants from the life of God and gave the keys of authority and dominion over the earth to Satan. Since then, the devil, who is the father of lies, has stolen, killed, and destroyed, keeping untold millions in a dark prison of hopelessness.
But even though Adam and Eve rejected God’s rule in their lives, the Lord did not abandon them or us their descendants.
In that extreme low point, God injected hope into the human story by promising that someone in Eve’s line would rise up to defeat Satan.
The LORD God said to the serpent, “Because you have done this, cursed are you above all livestock and above all beasts of the field; on your belly you shall go, and dust you shall eat all the days of your life. 15 I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.” Genesis 3:14-15 (ESV)
When Jesus was born to Mary and Joseph, he arrived as the fulfillment of that promise! God’s light dawned on humanity!
the people dwelling in darkness have seen a great light, and for those dwelling in the region and shadow of death, on them a light has dawned. Matthew 4:16 (ESV)
Jesus understood that his mission was to liberate those imprisoned by sin and hopelessness.
And the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written, 18 “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, 19 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” 20 And he rolled up the scroll and gave it back to the attendant and sat down. And the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him. 21 And he began to say to them, “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.” Luke 4:17-21 (ESV)
Jesus came to lay down his life for those who had no hope. He surrendered himself to the seeming hopelessness of death in full confidence that his heavenly Father would raise him from the dead! When he rose again, he lit a torch of hope that burns brightly to this day.
All who put their faith in Jesus always have hope, no matter how bleak things may seem, because Emmanuel, God with Us, lives and rules forevermore!
The Gospel is a beacon of hope to those in darkness. We who have believed in and follow Christ, are messengers of hope to those around us who live in darkness still.
For those of you readers who may not yet know Jesus, the Restorer of Hope, today could be your day to surrender your heart to the only one who can deliver you from hopelessness. What is stopping you? Don’t be among those who refuse to acknowledge his right to rule over all things!
If we surrender to the God of Hope, hopelessness will be extinguished in our lives!
May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope. Romans 15:13 (ESV)
Perhaps you are already a follower of Christ, but have wandered from your steadfast devotion to the Lord? If this is the case, all we need to do is repent, ask for and receive forgiveness, and once again declare our trust in and allegiance to Jesus.
Prayer
Dear Lord Jesus, I repent for trying to live a self-directed life. I now surrender my will to you as best as I am able. Holy Spirit, help me to do this! I receive all the blessings you died to give me – hope, forgiveness, eternal life, the Holy Spirit, and the privilege of being God’s child! I exchange my hopelessness for the joy of trusting in you. Thank you that you are working all things in my life for good (Romans 8:28). Hopelessness has no place in my life. Amen!
