Hope is such a precious commodity these days. As we live in unprecedented times, it is very easy to slip into hopelessness and eventually spiral down to helplessness.
In 1965, Martin Seligman “discovered” learned helplessness. He found that when animals are subjected to hard situations that they themselves cannot control, the eventually give up and stop trying to escape.
The Bible gives us reasons why we can continue to hope and not give up. There are so many but allow me to give you seven.
1. We can have hope because we will continue to see His goodness.
Psalm 27:13 (NIV). I remain confident of this: I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.
God’s ways flow from His character. Because He is good, His ways are always going to be good.
2. We can hope because His goodness is abundant.
Psalm 31:19 (ESV). Oh, how abundant is your goodness, which you have stored up for those who fear you and worked for those who take refuge in you, in the sight of the children of mankind!
His goodness abounds and it is unlimited. We can trust that His goodness is not just for a certain time but for all time. We are His children. Jesus said that if earthly fathers can give good gifts to their children, how much more our Heavenly Father.
3. We can have hope because what He started He will complete.
Philippians 1:6. NLT. And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.
What good work He began, He will complete. His power is never limited by any crisis or situation.
4. We can hope because He will fulfill His purpose in our lives.
Psalm 138:8a (ESV). The Lord will fulfill his purpose for me; your steadfast love, O Lord, endures forever.
Uncertainty brings a lot of insecurity. But in a time of uncertainty, there can be security! It can only be found in the Lord because He always… ALWAYS… has a purpose.
5. We can hope because He will guide us.
Psalm 32:8. The Lord says, “I will guide you along the best pathway for your life. I will advise you and watch over you.
This gives us so much hope. He will not just guide us along the best pathway. He will also watch over us. It is one thing to give instructions but it is another thing to know that He is with us through those pathways.
6. We can hope because the best is yet to come.
Proverbs 4:18 (NIV84). The path of the righteous is like the first gleam of dawn, shining every brighter till the full light of day.
We are righteous not because of our own merit but by the blood of Jesus alone. And because of that, we can claim that our path is like the first gleam of dawn. It starts like a flickering light but it gets brighter and brighter because we are with Him.
7. We can hope because He can work things out for our good and for His glory.
Romans 8:28. ESV. And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.
He knows the beginning and the end because He is the Alpha and Omega, the First and the Last. We can have this confidence that God doesn’t only sees all things but He knows all things. And this gives so much hope because we can trust in His plan – that He will work all things together for our good and ultimately for His glory.