How to battle hopelessness...

 

I dreamt last night that I was in a stadium full of people who were challenged to profess the deity of Christ. One by one, they denied Him until I was the only one left. I was so discouraged that I buried the ‘proof’ of it in the ground and woke up feeling entirely hopeless.

I read until this feeling lifted then was reminded of another dream. I’m not a golfer but did have clubs and went out a few times. The dream was about playing a perfect game, even getting a hole in one. I woke up realizing why people golf. It is the hope of doing better the next time, of improving their game. 

Callaway says that each year more than 20 million people play on 13,000 courses in America and many new courses open each year to accommodate those who are hopeful. This is a bit better than describing it as a long walk. Hope is a Bible word where it is not just about a fresh start nor does it have anything to do with my goodness or ability. Instead it is believing in the unchanging promises offered to me by my Savior, Jesus Christ, promises like these: 

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls. (1 Peter 1:3–9)

My realistic dream defined a dark, sad day, but God reminds me that He is true, even in the face of reality, never mind despairing dreams. Hope opens doors that despair slams shut. Hope looks for the good instead of the worst and turns problems into opportunities and fear into faith.

How is it recognized? I once wrote an essay on hope using the smell of cinnamon buns to illustrate that hope is like that; I cannot see the yummy buns but know they are there waiting for me. Yet hope Is no pie-in-the-sky illusion. It does not make me complacent, content to leave the world as it is by thinking about a secure future. Instead, it impels me to take hold of God’s goodness and share it with others, maybe not a stadium full of people but with those God puts in my life. 

Losing hope in a dream is not the same as losing it in reality because reality is the dwelling place of God’s promises. He tells me:

Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, (Hebrews 10:22–24)

PRAY: Jesus, the way to beat this hopeless feeling is to focus on Your faithfulness and how You keep Your promises. Your goodness can turn hearts that seem pleased with their own misery, or those who seem to love their own wickedness. Hope can change the torment of Your conviction into welcome enlightenment, and change the fondness of our sin into a remedy to eradicate it. Your love and grace can make those displeased with their condition into the realization we are unable to raise ourselves from sinner to saint. No matter how far anyone falls, Your goodness can triumph over all blindness and sin and turn anyone from nothing to children of God. This is the hope that enables me to think of ways to encourage others to live for You in the hope that You give. Feeding them sweet buns might open hearts to Your message of hope; however, feeding on Your word fills empty hearts and turns unnecessary despair with joy that You set before me. You give me words to say and actions to do that bring hope to the hearts of others who need it like we all do.

Enough milk and honey for all of us . . .

Numbers 12–13; Psalm 49; Isaiah 2; Hebrews 10

Today’s reading in Numbers tells of God’s people at the edge of the land He promised them. Moses sends in twelve “spies” to check it out. They find it truly is a land of milk and honey and brought back one cluster of grapes so heavy two of them had to carry it suspended on a pole between them. But that was not all they carried.

Despite the faithfulness of God in their journey so far, their resolve to trust Him turned to jelly. They focused only on the size of the enemies they must conquer and began to quiver in their sandals.

But Caleb quieted the people before Moses and said, “Let us go up at once and occupy it, for we are well able to overcome it.” Then the men who had gone up with him said, “We are not able to go up against the people, for they are stronger than we are.” So they brought to the people of Israel a bad report of the land that they had spied out, saying, “The land, through which we have gone to spy it out, is a land that devours its inhabitants, and all the people that we saw in it are of great height. (Numbers 13:30–32)

I’m learning about God’s attitude toward my attitude when I complain. Not only does it reveal a lack of faith in what He is allowing in my life, it fosters that same attitude in others. Only ten reported those challenges with fear and trembling. Joshua and Caleb were eager to move forward. However negativity ruled and the entire congregation turned away from a great blessing and wandered forty more years in the wilderness.

When others are complaining and negative, I am discouraged, sometimes angry with them and even complain about their complaining! This puts me in the same tippy boat and I must conclude that negativity and complaining foster unbelief. No wonder God became angry with them.

How to respond to the negatives around me? The psalmist reminded himself of the realities of life. He saw cheaters trusting their wealth and spoke the truth that all die and only those who trust the Lord can live forever. He wrote, “But God will ransom my soul from the power of Sheol, for he will receive me. Selah” (Psalm 49:15) Biblical truth changes negative attitudes.

Another solution to complaining and negativity, especially that based on comparing what I don’t have to what others do have, is looking at God’s prophetic revelation of future things. Isaiah speaks of a coming day when God will bring low the pride of humanity and He alone will be exalted. He will bring down everything from high mountains to high towers, fortified walls, ships, beautiful crafts, anything that we take pride in. All will flee as they cast away their idols and hide in caves. His bottom line is: “Stop regarding man in whose nostrils is breath, for of what account is he?” (Isaiah 2:22) Like the psalmist, I can replace negative thoughts and behavior with the reality of my salvation.

The entire Chapter 10 of Hebrews fits this solution! It speaks of Christ’s sacrifice for all sin and of His covenant where His law is written in my heart and gives me confidence to draw near to Him . . .

 . . . with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with my heart sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and my body washed with pure water. Let me hold fast the confession of my hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful. And let me consider how to stir up others to love and good works in the lives of others . . .  (Hebrews 10:22–24, personified)

Then this passage speaks of the folly of deliberate sin and “outraging the Spirit of grace” with the warning of it being a “fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.” (Hebrews 10:26–31) Indeed it is a fearful thing, but lest that cause negativity in my heart, God also says, “But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who have faith and preserve their souls.” (Hebrews 10:35–39)

APPLY: Confess my negativity and ask God to fill me with His positive attitude and the ability to encourage others rather than drag them into seeing giants when God has milk and honey enough for all of us.