Category: Hope

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When Life Feels Hopeless

When Life Feels Hopeless

Kevin Shimwa Gakuba
Kevin Shimwa Gakuba

When we are joyful, we might say that being hopeful is straightforward but is it? Is being hopeful in God easy? Sometimes we converse about being hopeful in God with an implicit assumption that it is just a choice one makes and boom, high hopes in God! It is not a matter of not knowing whether we can trust in God. All of us would perhaps have many testimonies about what the Lord did for us in the past. The disciples had fresh memories of Jesus healing large numbers of sick people and casting out demons. But some storms in life, sudden or persistent, waves rolling into our boat, are immense enough to terrify us and create doubts that rage in our minds about whether the Lord cares about what we are going through [Mark 4:35-41; Luke 8:22-25; Matthew 8:23-27]. Immense enough to drown our faith, these storms leave us crying hopelessly, pushed to find comfort solutions from the dirty world around us. 

"...some storms in life, sudden or persistent, waves rolling into our boat, are immense enough to terrify us and create doubts that rage in our minds about whether the Lord cares about what we are going through..."

Storms are storms, waves are real, and the fear of drowning is real. When such a moment comes, it is very crucial to remind oneself of truths of the gospel. Remind yourself of who God is and has been to you. The fresh thoughts of what He has been doing. The memories of how by His love for you, He delivered you with a mighty hand, not only out of Egypt, but out of many things that seemed insurmountable to you [Exodus 13:14]. God can lead us through the wilderness, not to perish, but to nurture our faith. To make us trust in Him. He delivered you to dwell with you [Exodus 29:46].  

"Remind yourself of who God is and has been to you."

Hope in God is not supposed to be smooth, or easily adopted by our souls. What matters is not to create other gods [Exodus 20:3; 23:33] but to remind oneself of Gospel truths. Indeed, one time in the future you will look back like King David and say that the Lord always restores your soul and leads you in paths of righteousness for His name’s sake [Psalm 23:3].  

Remind yourself of the gospel truths; take a moment and remember who God is and who He’s been to you. And just then, wait for the Lord. Be strong. Let your heart take courage. Wait for the Lord. [Psalm 27:14]. 

"Remind yourself of the gospel truths; take a moment and remember who God is and who He’s been to you. And just then, wait for the Lord. Be strong. Let your heart take courage. Wait for the Lord."

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Daily troubles, persistent failures, unfriendly time, overwhelming stress, and emotional tolls, all promise no hope in this world. I just move on and try to keep my balance knowing that I should keep on pedaling because the only way to maintain life on the bicycle of life is to sustain the pedaling. “But when will I stop wandering without a clear direction?” I questioned. I wish I had a good reason to keep pedaling. It had been so long since I questioned about this and couldn’t find an answer to all this chaos, not even a clue. I sometimes admired the calmness of hills, despite all activities run on them (Romans 1:20). At the bottom of all this, I was reminded about the creator who alone could answer my dilemma. Well, as you can predict for a great answer, and so there was. His answer was satisfying. 

"But when will I stop wandering without a clear direction?"

Here is a short verse, in Joshua 1:9 “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” The Lord says the same to you, be strong and of good courage, He is with you. He is with you there down in your heart where no one can search, in your sorrows where no one can understand you, in all your circumstances. So, have courage, God is reminding you today that He is with you wherever you go. But where will the journey end? In 1 Corinthians 2:9, Paul quotes the scripture, saying that “What no one ever saw or heard, what no one ever thought could happen is the very thing God prepared for those who love Him”. At the end of all we face, there is a surprise from God! Let your understanding and faith not rest on human wisdom but on God’s power (1 Corinthians 2:5) for through that you will find the real hope and understanding like I did. Through scriptures, we are not only reminded of how what we pass through are to refine us (1 Peter 1:7) but also how God is with us through it all and at the end, we will be rewarded.   

"He is with you there down in your heart where no one can search, in your sorrows where no one can understand you, in all your circumstances."

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Princiana Teddy Kayumba
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There are different things that can, and do, take us and make us feel away from God. In those situations, prayer feels like a routine and time dedicated to God starts to lessen. Causes are numerous and they vary. These include trials that are taking us away from God, guilt or habits we know do not align with what God wants but that we are not able to free ourselves from, a lifestyle we have adopted that’s taking time we normally dedicate to prayer, a combination of the above or even seeming as if there’s no particular reason. (The devil might just be working really hard to take you away). Our moral compass that is normally governed by God and by His Word is also affected. When we are in God’s presence and in His Holy Spirit’s presence, we are enabled to do things that are in line with that presence. For example, we are enabled to manage our anger issues better, we have more spiritual strength and less doubt, but when that presence is lost and time in His presence reduces what was considered wrong and undoable, starts looking less wrong and doable. Sin seems easier and less scary, and as expected the more our time and actions stop aligning with God, the more we are prone to going even further from His presence. I believe the first positive step in this situation is to allow the Holy Spirit in us to make us see and acknowledge the gap and emptiness that comes with being away from God’s presence and to let The Spirit strengthen our prayers and direct us to scripture that we need in that time. It is important to also first remember that God, our father, wants to have fellowship with us. He wants His children to remain in His presence and know that we are welcome back when we have gone away as seen in the parable of the prodigal son who was welcomed back home warmly by his father (Luke 15:11-32). 

"I believe the first positive step in this situation is to allow the Holy Spirit in us to make us see and acknowledge the gap and emptiness that comes with being away from God’s presence and to let The Spirit strengthen our prayers and direct us to scripture that we need in that time."

God wants us close to Him but, He still leaves us with the choice. He doesn’t force that on us. Revelation 3:20 “Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come into him and eat with him, and he with me.” He wants us to choose Him even in that state of pain, guilt, doubt and every other time we might not be feeling His presence. Of course, that is easier said than done but that is okay because it’s never our own strength that carries us, it’s always God’s grace. We just have to surrender to that grace in all circumstances. In Mathew 24:45-51, Jesus warns us of what to do when we are not feeling God’s presence. Throughout the chapter, Jesus is warning His disciples about the end of times and advising them to keep watch and to stay alert because they do not know when the end and His return is happening (verse 42). From verse 45 to the end of the chapter, Jesus tells His disciples of the parable of the faithful and wicked servant. Both were servants of the master, but their attitudes differed when their master went away. The faithful servant on one hand, despite his master’s absence kept on doing what would please his master. But the wicked servant did the opposite and betrayed his master’s trust. In times where we feel like God is absent, Jesus is telling us that we ought to be even more alert and remain faithful. We should pray even more, dive into The Word more and approach the throne of grace for strength in those times of need. So, to all of those going through a situation that makes them feel like God is not with them, God’s love for you is unchanged because as it says in Romans 8:38-39 “neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”  He still wants that fellowship with you, and He is present even if it feels like He is not. I pray that we all remain faithful and wise servants who keep on doing what pleases our Master even in His absence (when He feels absent).   

"it’s never our own strength that carries us, it’s always God’s grace."

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