How is Hope in Christ Enough When Everything Feels Hopeless?

In Psalm 42:5, the sons of Korah wrote these deeply emotional words: “Why are you cast down, O my soul? And why are you disquieted in me? Hope in God…” showing that your hope in Christ must grow together with your faith in Christ because life is too dark and difficult for your soul to hope in anything else.

If you are wrestling with or even losing the battle to a sense of hopelessness in your life, hearing someone say, “Just hope in Christ!” sounds too simple…or maybe it sounds impossible right now. Maybe you are asking yourself:

How is hope in Christ enough when everything feels so hopeless sometimes?

Is Hope in Christ Enough to Make a Difference in Anything?

In general terms, “hope” is simply “an expectation”. Everyone has expectations, but not everyone experiences the fulfillment of those expectations; and when expectations go unmet, disappointment or even depression sets in.

• You will feel like you are carrying a heavy weight of hopelessness in your heart that things will never change no matter how hard you try.

• You will feel exhausted spiritually, and maybe even physically or emotionally from trying to bear up when everything is so heavy.

• You will become vulnerable to the attacks of the enemy in your faith because he knows your weak areas and will tempt you to sin.

That is where your hope in Christ will make a difference because your hope in Him will direct you, guide, support, protect, and strengthen you to walk in victory as you move ahead in spite of everything that has been weighing you down.

In Romans 8:24-26 Paul wrote this:

“For we are saved through hope… we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience. Likewise, the Spirit helps us in our weaknesses…”

When you hope in things you can see, or hear, or feel, or touch those things will eventually disappear because they are not eternal and are limited in their ability to sustain you.

That is why, when you are sinking into hopelessness, you must cling to the Solid Rock that is Jesus Christ.

When Paul wrote, “we hope for what we do not see”, he was referring to Jesus Christ! When your hope is in Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit will help steady you in the seasons when you feel weak and hopeless.

When your hope is in things you can see, or hear, or feel, or touch those things will eventually disappear because they are not eternal and are limited in their ability to sustain you.

~ Alicia Purdy ~

Many people, even Christians, struggle with disappointment and unmet expectations in their relationships, their hopes and dreams, their efforts, their careers, their children, their ministries…and even in God.

Putting your hope in Christ makes a major difference within you in those seasons when everything feels hopeless outside of you.

How Do I Put My Hope in Christ?

Here are two confounding, perplexing, defining characteristics that the rest of the world cannot understand, but are natural for true believers:

1. A hope in what is invisible.
2. A hope that is alive.

The Apostle Paul wrote:

“…we also boast in tribulation, knowing that tribulation produces patience, patience produces character, and character produces hope.” Romans 5:4-5 (MEV)

The world is gripped by sin and victimized by the powers of darkness and evil, which allows the enemy free and unrestrained access into their lives. However, you are “hidden in Christ” (Psalm 91:1) and your perspective of life is defined by Christ, not by your circumstances. (Colossians 3:3)

1. Express Your Hope in Christ with Gratitude

In Romans 4:18-21 Paul wrote:

“Against all hope, [Abraham] believed in hope… being fully persuaded that what God had promised, He was able to perform…”

But how? Because Abraham was a worshipper of the Lord, and because he devoted time to “giving glory to God”, he was able to stand “fully persuaded” that God would honor His Word.

Praise and worship are spiritual weapons that provide you with strength in your spirit to help you stand and fight the enemy. There are a lot of “hopeless” things taking place in the world, but your praise and worship help keep your eyes fixed on Jesus instead of on all the problems.

Putting your hope in Christ makes a major difference within you in those seasons when everything feels hopeless outside of you.

~ Alicia Purdy ~

You know that God has a plan for your life and for every situation (Romans 8:28) – BUT… so does the enemy!

That is why you must express your hope in CHRIST through the sacrifice of praise so your spirit, soul, mind, and emotions are not led astray by the enemy who wants you to hope in anything EXCEPT Christ.

2. Learn to Hope in Christ by Examining Your Disappointments

Have you ever felt angry or disappointed with God?

When you are struggling with a sense of hopelessness, it is crucial that you examine your expectations. The truth is that you may be hoping in something other than Christ.

The enemy will never stop trying to attack your faith in the Lord and your desire to praise the Lord because he understands its power better than you do!

That is why you must take the time to evaluate yourself during seasons when you’re struggling with hopelessness. (Philippians 2:12-13)

Here are some things you may be putting hope in apart from Christ:

• Social Media – What is real anymore? It is increasingly difficult to distinguish between the truth and the lies, the manipulative propaganda versus the useful information, the good and the bad news, “wars and rumors of wars”, and all the conflicting “expert” opinions.

• News Reports – What is true anymore? Sometimes everything, everywhere feels like it is always bad and there is nothing good left. From the murder of Christians, to scandalous headline grabs, to the glorification of sin, and a constant flood of overwhelming bad news, how do you hold onto the hope, the joy and the peace of the Lord?

• “Experts” and Leaders – Who can you really trust? From being told to “trust the science” to doctors being paid off by special interest groups, to “experts” who falsify data, to pastors whose lives are secretly steeped in crimes or sinful behaviors, to false prophets, to friendships that fracture over politics and more – where can you turn in hard times?

• Family and Friends – Who can you really rely on? As family members and friends break relationships and turn on each other over political opinions, lifestyle differences, religious beliefs, and more, it can make you start to feel isolated and hopeless.
  • You might feel alone in the world.
  • You might feel no one is genuinely following Christ like you want to.
  • You might feel like even Christians have abandoned Biblical truths.
  • You might ask yourself: Is anyone like me out there in the world?

Paul wrote that when your hope is in Christ, that “hope does not disappoint…” (Romans 5:5)

• The world will disappoint you.
• People will disappoint you.
• You will disappoint yourself.

But HOPE will never disappoint you if you are hoping in Christ. But are you hoping in Jesus Christ?

1. Write down some of the things you are wrestling with, or are disappointed by in life right now.
2. Pray to the Lord and express your feelings about what you had hoped to see, but haven’t seen, or what is bothering you about a situation that has led to hopelessness or disappointment.
3. Invited the Lord to show you areas where you’ve slipped into a hope apart from Christ in those situations.

3. God’s Word Will Teach You to Hope in Christ

Think about this: You were never meant to be omniscient.

Although you have access to the world’s news and information at your fingertips, it was never God’s plan for you to bear the world’s burdens. It is God’s job to handle all the evil, hard things that the world suffers from.

If you are spending more time interacting the world than you are with the Word, you will continue to sink under a burden you were never meant to carry.

If you are spending more time interacting the world than you are with the Word, you will continue to sink under a burden you were never meant to carry.

~ Alicia Purdy ~

Paul wrote that, “It is CHRIST in you the HOPE of glory…” (Colossians 1:27) that keeps your soul protected from the hopelessness found in the world.

When everything seems hopeless, you are probably caught up in hoping in things that are temporal, and flawed, things that shift or are easily shaken like people, or resources, or your career, your abilities or strength, even your own understanding or expectation of how things SHOULD be.

“Lean not on your own understanding.” (Proverbs 3:5-6)

There is nothing real to hope for that the world can offer or provide.

• Only God’s Word can shed light in the darkness. (Psalm 119:105)
• Only God’s Word is alive. (Hebrews 4:12-13)
• Only God’s Word has power. (Isaiah 55:11)
• Only God’s Word holds truth. (Psalm 119:160, John 17:17)

Psalm 130:5-6 says, “I wait for the Lord, with bated breath I wait; I long for His Word! My soul waits for the Lord…”

Look at these Scriptures to remind yourself:

• Psalm 119: 74 – Those who fear You will be glad when they see me, because I have hoped in Your word.”
• Psalm 119:81 – “My soul longs for Your deliverance, but I hope in Your word.“
• Psalm 119:114 – “You are my hiding place and my shield, I hope in Your word.”
• Psalm 119:147 – “I arose before the dawn of the morning and cried for help; I hope in Your words.”

Even your life itself is sustained by the Lord. This is why you must discipline yourself to walk in a lifestyle of praise and worship, prayer and God’s Word to, “rejoice in the HOPE of the glory of God.” (Romans 5:2).

Psalm 42:5 says, “Hope in God, for I will yet thank Him for the help of His presence.”

The glory of God’s presence that exists in the inner place, behind the veil – the deepest part of yourself – is where you’ll find renewed hope as you strengthen your faith in the hope of eternity with the Lord, which is the only hope that is true, real, and living.

It is in that place that you worship and give thanks; where you pour over God’s Word; where you cry out and cast your cares to Him in your prayers.

• Psalm 33:18 says, “Behold, the eye of the LORD is upon them that fear Him, upon them that hope in His mercy.”
• Psalm 38:15 says, “For in You, O LORD, do I hope: You will hear me, O Lord my God.”
• Hebrews 6:18 says, “…we who have fled for refuge have strong encouragement to hold fast to the hope set before us…”

In God’s Word, believers are called to “lay aside every weight and the sin that so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us.” (Hebrews 12:1) The “lay aside” is your responsibility. God will take care of the rest.

4. Hope in Christ is an Anchor for Your Soul When You Feel Shaken

Hebrews 6:19-20 says, “We have this hope as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, which enters the Inner Place behind the veil. This is where Jesus has entered for us as a forerunner…”

Because Jesus Christ went before you into death, into suffering for sin, and into hopelessness (Matthew 27:46) and then took sin upon Himself, defeated death, rose from the dead- YOU HAVE A LIVING HOPE.

• HOPE in Christ enters in the “inner place” behind the “veil” deep inside of you. Beyond fear, beyond suffering, beyond your experiences.
• HOPE in Christ is an indwelling strength and supernatural encouragement.
• HOPE in Christ is set before you – but you must “lay hold” of it.
• HOPE in Christ is a CHOICE.

Learn more about the 7 Hebrew Words for Praise and how each one helps create strength, intimacy, and fresh revelation as you understand more about God’s plan for praise in your life!

When you feel downcast in your soul, HOPE IN CHRIST brings JOY. Psalm 22:3 says that God’s presence dwells within the PRAISES (tehillah) of His people…

• Psalm 16:11 says that, “…in Your presence is fullness of JOY.”
• Nehemiah 8:10 says, “The JOY of the Lord is your STRENGTH.”

This HOPE in the Lord is why Job could say, “Though he slay me, yet will I trust in Him.” (Job 13:15) Because Job’s hope was not in society, not in his marriage, his family, his wealth, his friendships and connections, or even in himself, he could put his hope in the Lord even when the darkness of the world closed in.

When the storms of life come (AND THEY WILL!), your hope in Christ will prove to be the anchor for your soul so that you do not drift from Christ, from His principles, from God’s plan, and so that you remain unsinkable when the enemy comes in like a flood.

Lamentations 3:21-24 says:

“This I call to mind, and therefore I have hope: It is of the Lord’s mercies that we are not consumed; His compassions do not fail. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness. “The Lord is my portion,” says my soul, “therefore I will hope in Him.”

Thought for Today: Hope in Christ ALONE Means Forsaking All Hope

Peter wrote this: “But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asks you for a reason of the hope that is in you…” (1 Peter 3:15)

It is perfectly natural to struggle with seasons of disappointment or hopelessness, but it is spiritual to “lay aside” your feelings so you can walk by faith in the Lord as you navigate those seasons.

Your own spiritual health is just one reason to put in the emotional and spiritual work to overcome the hopelessness you’re feeling, and to walk by faith. But, another reason is because Jesus Christ is the HOPE of all the world – they need to know about Him too!

“Be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart, all you who hope in the LORD.” (Psalm 31:24)

HOPE IN CHRIST pleases the Lord

“The LORD takes pleasure in them that fear Him, in those that hope in His mercy.” (Psalm 147:11)

To truly put your hope in Christ, you must forsake ALL other hope.

• Take the time to examine your hopelessness.
• Ask the Lord to show you where you have put your hope in things other than Christ.
• Repent for putting your hope in other things.
• Daily remind yourself of what God’s Word says about your hope in Christ.
• Stay away from things that impact your hope, or lead you astray, or cause distress.

This is how believers fight spiritual battles – with spiritual weapons! Do not allow yourself to live as a victim of hopeless any longer. The world is gripped with sin and evil and Satan will never let it go, so don’t “hope” that things will change – they won’t!

When your hope is in Christ, the world and its systems cannot take away what He has given you. You’ll experience many opportunities to give into fear, but if your hope is in Christ, you’ll make it through the storms.

“Now may the God of HOPE fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you may abound in HOPE, through the power of the Holy Spirit.” (Romans 15:13)