Isaiah 40:31 “But those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary; they will walk and not be faint.”
Have you ever lost your hope in someone, or has there ever been a situation in your life where you realize there is absolutely no hope? Webster’s Dictionary defines hope as “the feeling of wanting something to happen and thinking that it could happen, a feeling that something good will happen or be true, someone or something that may be able to provide help, someone or something that gives you a reason for hoping.” Hope is a wonderful gift from God; it is designed to bring a source of strength and courage in the midst of life’s harshest trials. But when someone you love dies, all your hopes and dreams die with that person and you know beyond a shadow of a doubt that there is no hope for that person getting healed or recovering; there is no hope for a future with that person in this earthly realm, and hope has been stripped from you and all that is left is a futility of the moment, and it is easy to get caught up in a sense of hopelessness that creeps in, robbing us of our reason for living. People are human and when we pin our hopes on a person, we create unrealistic expectations in our mind and inevitably that person will let us down and disappoint us. When people disappoint us and our hopes are dashed, we tend to create resentments which can cause us to sin, stumble or become extremely discouraged.
Psalm 73:25 says, “Whom have I in heaven but you? And earth has nothing I desire besides You.” I have come to the conclusion when I am feeling hopeless that the only hope I have is in my Savior. There is no human on this earth who has not disappointed me at some point in our relationship and when I put my hope in the Lord, I have learned that I will never be disappointed. Often times, it is during these circumstances that I look up to Heaven and ask the Lord, “Where are You in this?” There will always be raging storms; there will always be deep dark valleys; there will always be disappointment because of the depravity and fallen nature of humanity; there will always be death, and there will always be situations that cause us to step back and wonder, “Is there any hope?”
I love the analogy in Hebrews 6:19 where it says, “We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure,” because it alludes to the fact that our lives are like a tiny boat bobbing around in an ocean, and when the winds whip up and start to toss us to and fro, hope is an anchor, a heavy device that is attached to our ship of life by a rope or chain so that when it is thrown into the water, it holds our boat in place; it provides strength and support; it keeps us fixed in one place and does not allow us to be moved or shaken. Hope is the light at the end of the tunnel; it is what we look forward to; it gives us energy and lifts out spirits. Hope is embodied in Christ Himself who has entered into God’s presence in the heavenly Most Holy Place on our behalf. He is the anchor for our soul; He is the wind beneath our wings; He is the one who will give us strength, and when we place our hope in Him, we will run and not grow weary; we will walk and not grow faint.
--Melody
