Overcoming Loss of Hope

I looked everywhere: glove compartment, kitchen counter, dresser, night stand, bath tub, microwave, and even the refrigerator, but my keys were nowhere to be found. Finally, after searching for what seemed to be like hours, I patted my side pocket and realized they had been on me the entire time. Has this ever happened to you?

This is often how we treat hope. We search high and low looking in what seems to be obvious places while later becoming desperate, we begin to explore in the most obscure locations. After coming up empty each time, we ultimately discover the hope that we’ve been searching for is right with us, or do we?

In John 11 Jesus appears to Martha only to find her mourning her brother’s death. The first thing Martha says to Jesus when he arrives is, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” I often catch myself saying something similar when I feel that God is far away. It’s usually not because the loss of a loved one, but rather due the loss of an expectation. I thought for sure that job would have landed, or that raise would have occurred, or that check would have come through. I placed my hope in this expectation and when it didn’t materialize the way I thought God wanted it to, I doubted his existence in that area of my life.

When we wrap our faith around an external event to take place, our faith becomes only as strong as the outcome of that expectation. Martha understood that her brother would rise again in the last day, but she was still disappointed that Jesus didn’t prevent the death. Likewise, we often recognize that in the end most things will be okay, but we still leave certain situations puzzled that God didn’t come through how we thought He would. Later on Jesus explained to Martha that He was the resurrection and the life. Did you catch that? Jesus was the outcome, the event, the expectation, and all the hope she needed. While Martha was upset that her hope in a resurrection event didn’t take place with her brother, Jesus stands before her as the only hope she needs.

God has never promised to us a life that would turn out how we want. He never guarantees a life on earth that is free from pain, suffering, and disappointment. He never says, “Come to me, so all of your hopes and dreams can come true.” The true meaning of the gospel is that we give our lives over to Jesus, and He’s enough no matter what. Can we pray for healing, a job, and finances? Absolutely! Can we get mad at God when those things don’t turn out how we want? Absolutely not. Our hope isn’t in external expectations, but our hope is the Lord.

Isaiah 40:31 – But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.