The Antidote for Hopelessness

   This week at Moody Bible Institute is Founder's Week. Founder's Week is a historic conference hosted by my school every year to challenge and exhort the believer in his faith. The theme of the conference this year is "The Hope Within Us." And every year we bring speakers to this conference who have a national (and sometimes international) reputation for inspiring believers in their faith. This year the lineup includes Dr. Paul Nyquist (our president), Jill Briscoe, Francis Chan, Gene Getz, Erwin Lutzer, James Meeks, Don Sunukijan, Don Sweeting, Ravi Zacharias, George Waddles. Some of the musicians include Tim Stafford and Keith & Kristen Getty. This has obviously generated a lot of excitement among our student body.

What is the antidote for hopelessness?

   As I was thinking about the theme for the conference, I was contemplating on the need for hope. Hope shines the brightest when we are at our darkest hour. But what happens when you don't feel like you have any hope? What do you tell someone who is going through a "rough spell," or on the verge of giving up? How do you generate hope where it has gone M.I.A.? What is the antidote for hopelessness?
   These are all questions that I have asked of myself often at different times in my life. I have wrestled with hopelessness, and I know that there are not many feelings that are worse than feeling no hope. I mean, I can at least cope with something terrible in my life if I have some shred of hope that things are going to get better. But when you are in a "no-hope vacuum," it will force you to dig your own grave. It is a vicious circle leading to burn out.
   If you know what I am talking about, you know that it is impossible to face this on your own. So I wanted to share with you three things that I have learned are essential when going through a hopeless time in your life: the Word of God, a work of God, and the people of God.

Preach the Gospel to yourself.

   1. The Word of God is given to us as a lamp unto our feet and light to our path (Psalm 119:105). In its pages we find the hope of the Gospel. And yes, Christian, the Gospel is for you. Often we think that it is just for evangelism, like a screwdriver is just for fastening screws. But it is more like a Leatherman tool, useful for everything pertaining to life and godliness. The Gospel is our hope. In it we find strength, peace, power, grace, truth, and hope. When you are finding great joy, preach the Gospel to yourself. When you are at your breaking point, preach the Gospel to yourself. When you are in community, preach the Gospel to yourself. When you are in isolation, preach the Gospel to yourself. When you feel close to God, preach the Gospel to yourself. When you don't think he can even hear you, preach the Gospel to yourself. Why do I say preach the Gospel to yourself so often? Because in it we find absolute truth, amazing grace, and the hope of glory. In it, God proved his live, continues to prove his love, and promise to keep proving his love. When you ask where God during this dark time in your life, remember that he is in the same place he was when his own son was experiencing awful horrors on the cross on your behalf. He is continually working out everything that goes on for the good of those who love him and are called according to his purpose (Romans 8:28).
   So try this: repeat to yourself, "I am extremely valuable to God. He loved me so greatly that he died to pay the infinite sin debt that I can never pay in a hundred lifetimes. And if he loved me that much before I was his child, how much more does he have extreme delight in me. And no matter what I do, I am still his. And because of that, I will always have the hope of his affection, no matter how dark life becomes for me."
   Whenever the devil comes to taunt you and remind you of your past, stare him back in the face and remind him of his future. Believe this: "Not that we are sufficient of ourselves, to think of anything as being from ourselves, but our sufficiency is from God." (2 Corinthians 3:5)

"You do not have because you do not ask."
James 4:2

   2. Our God is not dead. Our God is not distant. And Our God is not weak. He is the living, near, powerful God of the entire universe. And we are on his side. He is not against us. It is not wrong to ask him for a mighty work on your behalf. Often times, our situation is so bad that we see no way out. There is no hope...apart from the mighty hand of God. But equally often, we neglect God to intervene on our behalf. We just go through life complaining instead of trusting. The writer of Hebrews said that "without faith it is impossible to please God (11:6)." God loves it when his children respond to their circumstances (that he sovereignly ordained) with active trust in him. Be encouraged, my friends, it is not the size, weight, height, depth, or greatness of your faith that matters. It is the object of your faith that is paramount. And the object of our faith is none other than the infinite Potentate of the entire created order. Even a small amount of faith in him goes a long way (Luke 17:6). Ask him for divine intervention. Ask him to act on your behalf.And ask him to give you hope. James exhorted the Jewish believers of the dispersion saying, "You don have because you do not ask (4:2)." So seek a work of God today.

You cannot do the Christian life
by yourself.

   3. Finally, we have been given the privilege of being a part of the people of God. It is for good reason that we are called the body of Christ. We cannot function without each other. Just like the head cannot function without the neck, the hand cannot function without the arm, and the toes cannot function without the foot, so the people of God cannot function without each other. Often we sing in worship songs that "Jesus is all I need." And I recognize the good and worshipful intention behind this kind of song, but I disagree. We are created to also need the people of God. You cannot do the Christian life by yourself. You can't!!! In good times and bad, you need the people of God around you. This is why I am such a firm believer in the local church. This is an age where it is increasingly easier to become disconnected from each other because of technology. People can now say, "Well, I listened to the sermon from my podcast and song along with some worship songs that I played from my own iPod. I am doing church just fine." WRONG! You need to be a part of the people of God...especially when you are feeling hopeless. When you feel like you cannot possible make it past tonight, God has given you a beautiful, wonderful treasure: his redeemed children who know what it is like to be broken and ashamed. I urge you, friend, turn to them. Find the love and strength of Christ in them. Sure, they are not perfect, but they are redeemed. And you need them, whether you believe it or not.

So where can you find love and grace and strength and hope for tomorrow? You find it in the Word of God, the works of God, and the people of God. Do you simply complain and blame others and God? Or do you seek hope in the Word, works, and people of God? If you do not find it here. I encourage you to turn to God. He is a God who defends the weak. If you do, keep it up! God will show himself strong on your behalf.

P.S. I just want you to know that I have been praying for you if you are reading this. I am praying that God will intervene in your situation and prove himself strong on your behalf.