Hope. It's such a happy word. It's a smiling, healthy attitude for the heart. Any time one truly anticipates something good it brings comfort to the mind and heart.However, feeling hopelessness is an awful feeling one could have. It's depressing and overwhelming all at once to feel at a point that nothing you're up against could possibly be resolved or changed.
For the one having lost all hope, life can seem like a long dark tunnel leaning absolutely nowhere. Proverbs 13 gives us a clear description of what results from this intense and burdensome feeling.
"Hope deferred maketh the heart sick..."
(Proverbs 13:12)
Just as the body gets weary when lacking powerful immune system boosters such as iron and vitamin C, the heart also weakens without hope. Physical, emotional, and even mental illness can creep up on a person feeling trapped in a dreary position.
But here comes the good news... As long as God is God, there will never be a circumstance, situation, or problem considered hopeless. We have a promise contained in the rest of that verse from Proverbs!
"...but when the desire cometh, it is a tree of life."
(Proverbs 13:12)
We find here a hope that anchors our soul! Anchors used to be highly regarded years ago in the Mediterranean. The economy was dependent on shipping goods from far and wide, and to those enduring the travels, that anchor was a strong symbol of calming and steady safety.
Hebrews 6:13-20 uses the word anchor in such a sense, giving reminder to believers that God provides a hope sure to hold firm in the midst of any storm.
When ALL our desires are placed before God and we seek Him diligently over the circumstance (Psalm 38:9), those desires WILL be granted (Proverbs 10:24) when the desired result is to honor the Lord (Proverbs 11:23).
Because of Christ, we have access to the throne room of heaven, the place available to us to cast every care, every burden, before a great and mighty God with unlimited power and authority over all things. In this we have the ability to cling to Him through any trial we stand face to face with.
Through God's abundant love, strength is provided for weary bodies, comfort for grieving hearts, and peace for an anxious mind. Simply put, He brightens that darkened tunnel and gently guides us through the most trying of situations.
Only through this anchor of hope, can your test become a testimony to be used for God's glory!
