When We Feel Like There’s No Hope & Blogger Linkup

ByRachel Wojo

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Welcome to Week 1 of the Hope for Hurting Hearts series!

Hope is a funny word. We think of it as a feeling of optimism, yet the Bible clearly uses our English word to mean so much more than just a feeling.

Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a desire fulfilled is a tree of life. Prov. 13:12

This word “hope” means “expectation” in the Hebrew.  It’s not just about a feeling, but about our thoughts and ideas surrounding the feeling.  When we lose an expectation, our hearts are sick. They ache. They hurt.

Expectations come in all forms.  The behavior we expect from our boss.  The medical test results we assume.  The types of responses we expect from our spouses.

So what happens when that expectation isn’t normal? Our world crashes down and our hearts hurt.

How do we cope when God doesn’t seem to be listening or the circumstance is NOT changing?   Grieving a loss is a process- it doesn’t happen overnight. We all process at different paces and times.  You can’t kiss the booboo and make it go away; there must be healing and restoration from God.  But as someone who has experienced the loss of a parent, the loss of a marriage via divorce, the loss of a sweet baby by means of miscarriage and is currently experiencing my daughter’s daily terminal battle with MPS, I wanted to begin this Hope for Hurting Hearts series with the following 4 points.

4 Things to Do When You Feel Like There’s No Hope

1. Slow your daily pace, but deliberately maintain routine.

You don’t have to be involved in every sport, activity and adventure offered in your church, school, and community.  Make deliberate choices about when and where you spend your time, yet keep up with daily living.

2. Stay in the Word.

When trials come along or expectations are dashed, this is prime time for Satan to drop discouragement at your doorstep.  To combat his efforts, now is high time for your faith in God to be more consistent than you’ve ever been. Read your Bible every day and in between.  Keep it handy and post verses everywhere in your house!

I wait for the LORD, my soul waits, And in His word I do hope.- Psalm 130:15

I love the NLT wording of this verse:

I am counting on the LORD; yes, I am counting on him. I have put my hope in his word. Psalm 130:15

3. Spend abundant time in prayer.

God wants to hear your feelings about this expectation lost! He loves you and loves to hear you pray.  Lam 2:19- “Pour out your heart like water before the face of the Lord.” Hold nothing back; give it all to Him.

4. Savor the blessings.  Soak up every good thing you can. Smile when you can. Keep a daily list of things for which you can be thankful.

Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits -Psalm 103:2

While this list is short and concise, I truly believe these are four practices that enable me to trust God each and every day so that I can get through the times when I feel like there’s just no hope.

Do you have a go-to verse for hope when you feel like you have none?  Could you share it with us in the comments today?

For those you blogging, just add our button to your post and link up below! Thanks for participating!hope for hurting hearts

20 Comments

  1. I came over from Time Warp Wife and started reading more. Several of your postings have spoken to me. I have several but some that I have come back to time and time again are the book of Isaiah, with Isaiah 30, Isaiah 41, and Psalm 40, Psalm 91. I predominately read the Amplified version.

    In Psalm 40, the word wait mean to be intertwined like a rope, and Christ spoke to me that I am intertwined with Him. Patiently, also means to wait. In the waiting we are intertwined and intertwined with Christ. and wait expectantly. This has helped me and speaks to me today.

    Thank you for your postings.

    Blessings,

    Joanne

    1. Bless you, Joanne! I only began to read the Amplified version of the Bible about three years ago- I didn’t know what I was missing before!! Thank you so much for sharing! Blessed words from Psalm 40. Have a wonderful day and thanks for stopping by and hanging out! 🙂

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  4. I like Jeremiah 17:7 (from above) but I also like verse 8 that follows because of the hope and strength it reveals through God.

    “But blessed are those who trust in the Lord and have made the Lord their hope and confidence. They are like trees planted along a riverbank, with roots that reach deep into the water. Such trees are not bothered by the heat or worried by long months of drought. Their leaves stay green, and they never stop producing fruit.

    Isaiah 40:31 is also one of my favorites. It doesn’t have the word “hope” in it, but every time I read I feel lifted up and hopeful.

    “But those who trust in the Lord will find new strength. They will soar high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint.”

    (I meant to leave my comment yesterday when I linked up, but the day got away from me.)

    Blessings,
    Laura

  5. Thank you for posting these encouraging words and beautiful reminders for living a hope-filled life. Grieving is most certainly a day-to-day (or sometimes hour-by-hour) process and healing takes time. Thanks for the reminder to keep the word and prayer a part of the daily routine. It makes all the difference!

    1. Bless you Corrie for stopping by! Thanks for testifying to the truth of Scripture. 🙂

  6. I love the fact that you include a list of steps to take when we lose hope. Sometimes it’s so hard to come out because we think it’s just about “feeling” different. I need to print this out and put it in my Bible for times when I can’t think of what to do next.

    1. Thanks for coming by, Sarah. You know, when it comes down to the tough times, I’ve found that having a guide to keep me focused on taking one step at a time is crucial. I’m so glad you find it helpful too!

  7. Beautiful reminders, Rachel. Thank you.
    Also, my go-to verse? Lately it’s been the chapter of Psalm 103, and especially verse 2: “Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not ALL his benefits!” Because there’s always a benefit to praise Him for, no matter how bleak the situation seems.

    1. how funny that I tweeted that very verse this weekend! I love it too. Blessings, Friend!!

  8. Rachel,

    I loved your advice, post verses everywhere in your house! I have many go to verses, but the season that I am in I keep running to Psalm 56:3 NLT ~ But when I am afraid, I will put my trust in you.

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  10. shannon chamberlain says:

    1 John 4:14-15
    This is the confidence we have an approaching God; That if we ask anything according to his will, He hears us. And if we know that he hears us- Whatever we ask- We know that we have what we asked of him.

  11. What a beautiful post!! I love how you took us back to the original language for “Hope.” Thank you for the four steps to take when we feel hope is lost. And most especially thank you for reminding us that it will not happen in a day. We must persevere in hope…through the Word, through prayer, and through thanksgiving in the midst…looking for God’s blessings.

    So thankful I stopped by here today. You are a great teacher and encourager.

    Blessings,

    Wendy Blight

    2. You so encouraged me Wendy by reminding me that it will not happen in a day. Hugs in Him…

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