Finding Hope When You Feel Hopeless

Psalm 42:5

Why are you in despair, O my soul? And why have you become disturbed within me? Hope in God, for I shall again praise Him for the help of His presence.

Let’s be clear about something very important. We are never helpless.  Why? Because we can dwell daily, moment by moment in the presence of God. That is a fact, a certainty. In fact, we are told in John 14:16 that the Father will send us “the Helper.”  Then in John 14:26 this Helper is identified: He is the Holy Spirit of God. The very moment we are saved, God, the Holy Spirit, comes to reside in our hearts and help us. So as believers in Christ, we are never helpless. We always have God’s help.

However, sometimes we experience the feeling of hopelessness. When troubles come into our lives, when sorrows overwhelm us and when tragedy comes our way, we can feel helpless and hopeless. When that happens, and it does happen to all of us at times, we don’t have to listen to our feelings, we can rely on facts. And the simple fact is that God is our hope. Our feelings will lead us to stumble because our feelings are fickle, and they can lie to us. But our God is truth and is always sure and steady. That is why we hope in God, not our feelings.

In Psalm 42 and Psalm 43, we are admonished three times to “hope in God.” In fact, the verse at the beginning of this blog is quoted three times. What does it mean to hope in God? That is the question for us today and that is the question we face in our lives when we feel helpless. Let me share with you four ways we can demonstrate hope in God and not succumb to our feelings of helplessness and hopelessness. 

Trust

To hope in God means we trust God. To hope in God means we look beyond our circumstances and beyond our feelings. Hope knows that God will protect us, provide for us and preserve us. Hope knows that God will be faithful and that He is trustworthy. Our feelings can fail us and our thoughts can deceive us, but God is always faithful. And it is the faithfulness of God that we trust. When we hope in God, we place our trust in Him knowing He always has our best interest in His mind. 

Eagerness

When we hope in God we demonstrate an eagerness to turn to him and away from those things that rob us of hope. This simply means that I am eager to run to God for guidance, instruction, and deliverance. I don’t shy away from seeking and asking God for help. I eagerly run to God because I am convinced that He alone is my hope. 

Confident Praise

When I hope in God, I can praise God confidently and worship Him with certainty because I am convinced that He is not only able, but willing to act on my behalf for my good. I don’t have to be afraid or timid as I approach Him, or declare Him to others. I can boldly praise God because I have the confident expectation that God is working in my life for my good. 

Courageous Patience

Yes, hope means I can wait on God with courage and patience knowing that God will hear my prayers and bring about His will in time. Hope clings to Psalm 42:8, “The LORD will command His lovingkindness in the daytime, and His song will be with me in the night, a prayer to the God of my life.” 

The writer of Psalm 42 and 43 is longing for God. He is in despair. His heart is longing to hear from God and be delivered from his present circumstances. The Psalmist is tempted with thoughts that God has forgotten him, and he feels the pressure of his enemies around him. 

But then the Psalmist asks himself a question, “Why are you in despair, O my soul? And why have you become distrubed within me?” The Psalmist is now coming to his senses; he is remembering the faithfulness of God. 

All of that then leads us to the phrase, “Hope in God, for I shall yet praise Him.” The truth is, our soul does not have to despair. Our feelings do not have to rule us and we do not have to be disturbed within. We can hope in God. We have the “help of His presence.”

There is a slight difference between Psalm 42:5 and the other two times we find this verse in Psalm 42:11 and Psalm 43:5. In the last two of these verses the bible says, “Hope in God, for I shall again praise Him, the help of my countenance and my God.” Why is this important? Our face reveals the condition of our heart. When we feel hopeless and helpless, our countenance will show it. Instead of smiling, we frown. Instead of joy we will show anxiety. Instead of faith, we will show fear. Maybe today your countenance is showing despair. Perhaps you are facing some life challenge that has disturbed your heart. If that is you today, I encourage you to put your hope in God. Turn your circumstances over to God in faith and trust. He has not forgotten you, nor is He surprised by what is happening. Trust Him to act on your behalf. Eagerly run to God seeking His guidance and instruction. He has a divine plan and He is working all things out. Seek Him and expect Him to guide you. Praise Him with a confident joy. Praise will chase away your fear, anxiety and worry. And yes, confidently wait on God. Waiting is often so difficult but waiting is an opportunity to strengthen your hope.

As I close today, I want to leave you with a word straight from God’s Word. Consider memorizing these verses to encourage your heart. 

Lamentations 3:22 - 26, “The LORD’S loving kindnesses indeed never cease, for His compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness. The LORD is my portion, says my soul, therefore I have hope in Him. The LORD is good to those who wait for Him, to the person who seeks Him. it is good that he waits silently for the salvation of the LORD.”